A Sirius Way of Thinking
by bubbleberryjammer
Summary: Everyone knows that Sirius, James, and Lily graduated from Hogwarts and went to live in Godric's Hollow, but what did they do there? And did Sirius ever fall in love?
1. Graduation of the Century

**Sirius's POV**

Graduation day started as the most boring day I had ever experienced. Dumbledore was droning on and on about how our education would help us at the very best of times blah blah blah.

I wasn't really listening. I had my attention on Kiki Thomas. She was the prettiest girl I had ever seen. She had blond wavy hair with a touch of brunette underneath. Her face was almond shaped, her eyes green with caramel streaks that burned like fire. Her lips were full and light pink, and her nose was small, but not too small.

I naturally had a crush on her since she transferred from Hansford University in the United States. Unfortunately, she had a boyfriend. Yep, that's right, Mene Laize. The pompous brat from Hufflepuff. He acted like he was the smartest person in the world, which was rich considering how Hufflepuff tended to produce, well, idiots.

James, who was bored as well, started using his wand to pelt him with minuscule dung bombs. Lily noticed him and started to glare at him as if to say, "Behave yourself, or else!" Don't know why she even bothers. James romances her so well she probably won't remember why she was mad at him.

Turning my attention back to Kiki, I noticed how sad and angry she looked. She and Mene had apparently argued. She leaned over to give him a kiss, but he just shoved her away hard. Kiki, being a girl with a short temper when people started to push her around, immediately punched him in the gut so hard she knocked the wind out of him.

As Professor McGonagall hustled over to see what all the fuss was about, Kiki ran, crying, up to the castle. I immediately changed my mind about how boring graduation day was.

I didn't waste any time. I ran after Kiki as fast as I could. I found her in the first empty classroom I came across. She was just sitting on the floor with her head in her hands looking thoroughly miserable

"Are you alright?" I asked a little cautiously.

She started when she noticed I had entered and replied, "Yeah, I guess," she said in her American accent,"Mene has just been a total jerk lately. He keeps talking about how he is gonna be a successful wizard once he graduates and how lucky I am to have him as a boyfriend. I guess I just snapped."

"Anyone would. He shouldn't have shoved you." I replied with such forced she smiled.

"Thanks. Hey, I've seen you before. Aren't you Sirius Black?" she asked innocently.

"That's me, although I just go by Sirius nowadays."

"Why?"

"Because my family and I kinda had this huge fight and I left permanently." I replied in a flat tone.

"Oh." she replied, a little confused.

"But no worries, I have a new family. The Potter's son, James, is my best friend. They sort of adopted me when they heard I needed a place to stay." I said quickly. It was apparent that she felt bad for asking.

"Well it's nice to officially meet you. Thanks for coming to comfort me. I have heard people talking about you being a jerk, but I think you are sweet and caring." she said. I blushed in spite of myself and she giggled.

As she turned to leave, I quickly asked where she was staying. "Oh, I rented a small apartment in Godric's Hollow. Actually, its two doors down from the Potter residence, so I guess I'll be seeing you around!"

As she left, I couldn't help but think this summer would be the best I have ever had.


	2. The Start of a Journey

**Kiki's POV**

I didn't know what to do. I mean, seriously, who dumps their boyfriend on graduation day? Let alone during the ceremony?

Apparently, Mene had to go to the hospital wing. I felt so embarrassed! Professor McGonagall chose to ignore the fact that I punched him. She acted as if he had spontaneously hit himself in the stomach. I don't care what anyone else says about that woman, she is awesome!

And then there was Sirius. I don't pretend that I haven't noticed him before, or wondered what would have happened if he ever asked me out. I don't think he ever knew I had a crush on him. I was so surprised that it was him who came to comfort me, I blurted out everything. I couldn't tell the difference between what I said and what I thought.

The train ride to London the next day started normally, but since we were graduates and would not be returning, we got the Leisure car. This is the place where graduates from all four houses got to stay together in one open compartment that filled the whole car. I sat with Lily Evans. She has been one of my few friends who care more about my personality than my appearance. We started to talk about what we were going to do once we were home.

"I'm going to rent a place near Godric's Hollow and live with James. He said he wanted to stay close to his parents because they were getting old, but I think he just doesn't want to leave home." She rolled her eyes.

"Cool! That means I'll see you almost every day!" I replied ecstatically.

"What do you mean? I thought you were going back to America." She replied, a bit confused.

"And what? Tell the first people I meet I need a place to stay because I am an orphan witch who just came back from a wizarding school?" I asked sarcastically.

"Oh yeah, I'm sorry. I forgot, how insensitive of me." She replied sadly, hitting herself on the head.

"Oh, it's alright. Its true for both of us, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

My parents died when I was 13. That is why I transferred to Britain; I couldn't bear to stay when my parents were all over the wizarding news: Great Leaders of Muggle Protection Program Horribly Killed In Double Homicide. I swore I would never ever go back. Before they died, my dad told me that someday, I would aid in the defeat of Lord Voldemort. His last words to me were, "Never fear him, Ki. Never let him make you run. Someday, you will be a great hero. Just remember to defy him in any way possible." That was before the Death Eater kidnapped them and tortured them until they died. A couple weeks after they died, an owl brought me a letter saying that I was to receive an award for their bravery against the opposition. After the pain of the ceremony, a very good friend of my parents' took me to Britain at my request.

Lily all the sudden perked up, "Hey, what about Sirius?"

"What about him?" I said abruptly.

"Oh come on, I know you like him. I saw him run after you yesterday!" she shouted.

"Lily, keep your voice down!" I looked around to see if anyone noticed, but they were all talking about how they would forever be free of exams and classes." So what if I do? He was just being nice yesterday, He wouldn't like me!"

"Oh don't be thick! James told me he was smiling like a fool after he came back. All he could say was 'they broke up!'"

I didn't know what to make of this, so I just started to change the color of my cat, Ann Marie. I named her after my mother. She was a sympathy gift from my best friend after my parents died. She seemed to like the color black best, typical of a magical cat.

(Ann Marie)

Lily grinned like Christmas had come early. I soon found out why when a voice behind me spoke.

"Lily Petal, what's up?" James asked, giving her a peck on the lips.

"I'm telling Kiki how much Sirius loves her!" Lily chirped.

"Aww, Lils, you promised you wouldn't tell! Sirius is gonna kill me!" James moaned.

"It doesn't matter whether she knows or not, she is still crazy for him!"

I blushed. "Lily, stop, he's coming this way!" I protested.

"Spoil sport!" she grinned.

"Hey Lily, James," he smiled at me, "Kiki. Who is up for a game of Gobstones?"

"Not me! I'm still in my frock clothes, and I don't want to smell like yesterday's pudding. I'm sure Kiki is free!" Lily exclaimed.

I shot daggers at her, "Sure, why not?" I said enthusiastically.

Sirius's eyes lit up. As we set up the game, he asked, "Are you still sad about yesterday?"

I bit my lip, "Not really. He had it coming. He was such a jerk."

Sirius looked down, but I could tell he was smiling. "So I guess you two are over. Excuse me for prying."

"Oh no, you aren't prying, I can tell I can trust you." I replied hastily

He beamed at me, "Really? I didn't know I was trustworthy myself!"

I laughed.

"I love your laugh. I can't believe I'm even telling you this, but like you said, I can trust you."

"You really like it? I always thought it sounded like a donkey's bray." I blushed.

"It does not! It sounds like a string of bells on Christmas." Wow. Really?

We forgot all about our game of Gobstones. We sat and talked for hours, and by the time the train pulled into the station, we had fallen asleep on one of the couches side by side.


	3. Meddling and Muggle Phones

**Lily's POV**

"Alright, what did you do?" James asked when we arrived at our brand new apartment.

"I don't know what you are talking about." I said, but my mouth gave me away by grinning mischievously.

"I know you did something to Sirius and Kiki. There is no way they could have hit it off that fast. They may have talked the whole way back, but still," James glared at me, "Lily, when the spell you must have put on them will wear off and they will be very confused. Tell me what you did."

"Well, I may have given them some Veritaserum." I whispered, blushing.

"Lily! What happens when they ask a question that the other one would rather not answer? We have to go make sure nothing bad happens."

"Calm down James, I only gave them enough last through the trip home. They should be back at their separate apartments by now." I assured James.

"Fine," sighed James. He knew his girlfriend's meddling was a result of their friends' complete inability to see what was right in front of their faces. Truth be told, if Lily hadn't done something, he would have. "Hey, Lily, I forgot to tell you, we have reservations to go to dinner at the Bacchette Entertwined next Friday at six."

"Isn't that the super expensive Italian restaurant in Diagon Alley?" I asked excitedly.

"Of course! You deserve nothing but the best." James smiled, "But it should be just us, OK? We can take Sirius and Kiki after they get together on their own! I gotta go hon. I promised my parents I'd go and see them immediately after I got home."

James kissed me on the lips before he left. He isn't able to stay mad at me, but I knew he was concerned about the stunt I pulled. I can't help it, I'm meddlesome! I started to unpack our things. As I pulled out the picture of our first date, I heard my phone ring. It seems so weird to have a muggle phone since I found out I am a witch, but I like to keep in contact with the other muggleborns since we all understand each other.

I ran over to the phone and managed to pick it up just before the last ring. "Hello? Lily Evans speaking."

"Lily? Hey, it's Severus. How are you? I hear you are staying with Potter." My old friend, Severus Snape, growled into the phone.

"Yeah, we're dating now, Sev. He's not that bad once you get to know him." I say defensively. James and Severus have this eternal rivalry they can't seem to get over. I don't know why they hate each other so much, they are both really great guys.

"Once you get to know him? Lily, the guy tortured me for 5 years. It's not like I don't know what an insolent prat he is." Severus spat into the phone.

"Well, he's been a lot better in the past few years. You wouldn't know because you ran off to join your little death eater friends two years ago!"

"Leave that out of this."

"No, I will not leave out the fact that you go around killing people for fun! In many ways you are even worse that he was!" I shouted.

"Well, I'm sorry that you think about it like that. I gotta go. Nice talking to you." Severus said sarcastically. A second later, the phone line went dead.

I sat down and found tears running down my face. I can't believe I shouted at him like that. He was one of my only friends who really understood me at school. But I can't ignore the fact that he is one of Voldemort's minions. Doesn't mean I have to like it, though. I was so confused and tired, I left the unpacking and went to bed.


	4. Real Friends

**Kiki's POV**

OK, that was seriously weird. On the train ride from Hogwarts, it was like I didn't have any secrets. Whenever someone asked me a question I would answer truthfully no matter how awkward. Now I feel like I have the biggest hangover ever. Since last night passed in a haze, I decide to call Lily to make sure I didn't do anything inappropriate around Sirius.

"Hello?" Lily spoke into the phone in a voice that insinuated she had been crying.

"Lily? Are you alright? You sound like you need a hug." I said.

"I'm fine, really. I just have a few problems that need taking care of." I wasn't convinced.

"Lily, is James there, or are you all alone?" I said, I was very concerned about these problems.

"Well, no. He went to talk to a man about a job," Lily admitted, "But I'm just fine, Ki."

"No, you are definitely NOT ok. I'll be over in ten minutes. Just don't kill yourself!"

She chuckled, "Well, alright then, if you say so," she said.

As I walked through the early morning sun, I thought about Sirius. I have a faint memory of us talking on a couch. I remember asking him something about Remus Lupin, a guy we went to school with. He would disappear every now and then, nobody knew why. Since Sirius was one of his best friends, I asked him if he knew why. He told me he did, but it was a really big secret that he wasn't allowed to tell anyone. I backed off after that.

I knocked on Lily's door and in moments it opened to show Lily in her old PJs. Red eyes, a sad frown, and un-brushed hair showed that whatever she was sad about, it was taking over her mind. Lily very rarely doesn't brush her hair when she gets up. As I entered, she looked like she was about to cry again. I gave her a hug and led her into the living room. Once she was sitting comfortably, I went and made some tea for her and some coco for me.

"Lily, I've never seen you this upset! You look like you are about ready to faint!" I fretted.

"I'm fine, really. I just need a little time to think." Lily said, but her eyes showed that she was devastated.

Lily's eyes either shine as bright as the sun when she is in a good mood, turn dark and stormy when she is agitated, or look lifeless when she is sad. For some reason, James can't really decipher this. The only reason I can is because after my parents died, I learned to look people in the eyes for two reasons: one- so no one would ever think I was weak. (My eyes apparently turn from a lame green color to a glare of pure defiance when I am seriously PO'd) and two- because my mother always said I can see a person's heart through their eyes.

"Lily, you know I'm not buying it. Tell me what happened. Did you and James get into an argument?"

"Oh no, nothing like that! James couldn't be sweeter to me! It's just that….." Lily trailed off as if she was nervous to tell the truth.

"Spit it out! C'mon Lil. I'm your best friend, you can tell me." I persuaded.

"Well, have I ever told you about Severus?" she asked.

"Sev-whata?" I asked, completely bemused.

"He was my first wizard friend. He was like a brother to me until he ditched school in our 5th year." Lily said.

"Oh, cool. So what about him?" I asked, still a little confused.

"He kinda joined the death eaters." Lily said sadly.

"Oooohhhh. So, umm, what happened?" I asked.

"Before James and I were dating, James thought he was the coolest thing since iced pumpkin juice. He teased everybody who crossed his path, especially Severus. I don't know why they hate each other so much, they just do. Well anyway, Severus called me yesterday and we talked for, like, two minutes before I started yelling at him for joining the death eaters and still having the gall to tell me James is still a jerk. He hung up after trying to guilt trip me. I guess it just broke something inside me, to hear my once best friend like that." She said. Her voice was starting to become hysterical, so I quickly replied so she wouldn't work herself into a fit.

"Lily, calm down. We all have had friends who turned out bad. But we all live on. You just need to accept that this is not your fault. From what you've told me, it sounds like you were in the right and he was just denying the truth. Don't worry about it. Everything is gonna be fine. If you need to cry, I'm the only one here, so just cry until you can't anymore because then you will be able to move on." I said calmly. She was acting like she was the victim of a horrible break-up. Guess why I know that. It's the same exact thing I was doing the night after graduation.

Suddenly, she burst into tears and leaned in and cried on my shoulders. I knew this was all she wanted, because after my parents died, all I wanted was a shoulder to cry on. She cried for about twenty minutes, all the while sobbing insults at this Severus guy and asking why he was so angry and cold toward her and James. I just sat with her and tried to soothe her. When she finally ran out of tears, my shirt was soaked and her eyes were red and puffy. I calmly pulled out my wand and dried us both off, refilled our cups, and produced a box of tissues. She took one and started mopping up her eyes.

"How do you feel?" I asked.

"Better. Why is that so effective?" she asked in a thick voice.

"I don't really know. It's almost as if tears drain you of all your sadness. I cried constantly after my parents died." I replied.

"Oh, well thanks Kiki. I probably would have broken down in front of James if you hadn't called."

"Well we can't have that! Now, are you all cried out? You sure? Good." I smiled.

"Ki, what did you call me for? Is there something you need?" she asked suddenly.

I was startled about the abrupt change of subject, "Yeah, actually. I seem to be unable to recall what happened on the train ride, so I really wanted to ask you if I did anything embarrassing." I said.

"Oh, no, nothing happened. Well unless you count the fact that you and Sirius really hit it off. You talked for hours!" she exclaimed.

"Really? I remember talking to him, but the details are foggy. Does he really like me?" I asked excitedly.

"Yes. You talked about everything! Quidditch, America, Politics…"

We talked for about two hours. When I left, I was feeling much better about the train ride than I was this morning. I started marveling on the fact that Sirius and I might actually be perfect for each other. I started daydreaming, but a second later, I was jolted back to reality when Sirius rounded the corner.


	5. Making the First Move

**Sirius's POV**

I would be lying if I told you I have never had a hangover before, but this was like nothing I've ever experienced. I felt happy, angry, sad, and confused all at the same time. I knew why I was happy. Kiki and I definitely made a connection last night. I felt like someone had taken away all barriers between us. I have no idea where all the other feelings came from. I think most of it came from my conflicted feelings with my parents. Yeah, that must be it.

I got up this morning and stumbled to the sink. After splashing cold water in my face, I felt better, so I started to organize my temporary home. The Potters had a pretty large house, so I had a whole floor to myself. I would only stay here for a little while, though. Since James is now out of the house, Mr. Potter and Mrs. Potter were thinking of moving to a smaller residence, and if they did, I would not hang around. I needed a place of my own, with maybe a girl staying with me.

I sat on the couch and pulled out my wand. My "partner in crime" as James called it. I remember when I made Lucius Malfoy's pants fall down in the third year. Good times, good times. I got bored, so I went to my room and took a shower. Cold water felt so good and helped me organize my feelings. I decided I should ask Kiki out soon. Hey, the guy is supposed to make the first move, right? So anyway, when I got out, I took a glance at the clock. 10 AM, that is late enough to go say hi to Kiki and Lily. No doubt they are talking about yesterday. (I pride myself in knowing girls well enough that I can tell when they gossip.)

I dried my hair and went to the front door. Maybe Kiki and I could grab lunch together. I walked outside and headed toward Lily and Jame's apartment. As I rounded the corner, I ran into Kiki herself! She looked like she was in deep thought.

"Oh, Sirius! Hi, umm, whatcha doin?" she said, startled.

"Well, I was actually on my way to Lily's because I figured that would be where I could find you. I wanted to ask you if you want to go grab something to eat." I blurted.

"Oh, sure. I haven't had anything all morning. What time is it?" she asked

"About 10:30. So, where do you want to go? Somewhere in town, or do you want to apparate to Diagon Alley?"

"Diagon Alley. I have never really looked around there." She admitted.

"Well, today is your lucky day! I happen to be an expert on all things Diagon Alley. James and I go there all the time to visit Remus. We can probably visit him while we are there." I boasted.

"Ya, I noticed that he didn't come to graduation."

"He had a small... medical problem." Sirius replied hastily, "Dumbledore had to give him a special ceremony yesterday just before we boarded the train."

"Cool. So was he in the medi-car yesterday?" she inquired.

"Yeah, James and I went to visit him right before we came to see you, actually. We were the only ones who could approach him." Sirius said.

"Is it safe to visit him today? I mean, what if he doesn't like me?" Kiki asked.

"Oh no, he is all better now. He probably needs us to come, anyway. Remus needs someone to remind him that he is included every now and then. He is very insecure."

"Alright then, let's go. I can't wait to officially meet him."

I reached out for her hand and she grasped it tightly. I turned on the spot and immediately the suffocating darkness of apparation surrounded us.


	6. Diagon Alley

**Sirius's POV**

As Kiki and I emerged from the suffocating darkness of apparition onto the streets of Diagon Alley, I couldn't help but smile as I realized we were holding hands. We were right outside Gringotts bank because I needed to make a withdrawal. We entered Gringotts together and I handed my key to one of the goblins. He led us down to my vault which opened up to a good amount of money I had acquired from my uncle before he died. Kiki also decided to collect while we were there. When we got to her vault, she attempted to hide the gold piled around her vault. I smiled at the fact that she thought it would embarrass me to see all her money with so little of my own. The truth is, I couldn't care less. I don't need much money to survive.

After we left Gringotts, I took her to Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor, where I insisted on treating us both to some Ninja Nutters-a Sunday that gives you the reflexes of a fully trained ninja. Then we had an epic battle of Ninja Destruction which lasted about ten minutes until we called it a tie. We continued to run around doing random things until we came to Remus's apartment. We knocked on the door, and a few moments later Remus appeared looking tired and ragged. When he saw us, he straightened up and a grin spread across his face.

"Sirius! Man, I didn't know you were coming, I coulda made you lunch!"

"Hey, don't worry 'bout it. How ya feelin bro?" I asked.

"Better since my…" Remus realized Kiki was standing there and changed his sentence at the last moment, "Since I took a nap. And who is this?"

"This is Kiki. She's my…friend." I looked at Kiki and saw a look of sadness creep over her delicate features.

"Well, it's very nice to meet Sirius's new…ah…..friend." Remus said with a smirk. He looked at me and winked. I wished he would just shut up, but Kiki seemed to think it was hilarious. She was giggling behind her hand and looking at my expression, which was a mix between horror and amusement. I looked at Remus and gave him a "CUT IT OUT!" glare, but he didn't seem to get the message. He just kept flirting with her! I knew he would never go for her on account of him being a werewolf and risk hurting her, but Remus always was a flirt. I taught him well! Kiki seemed slightly oblivious to the fact that Remus was talking to her, she kept on pulling out a picture of her parents and didn't even notice when Remus said he was going to go get some tea.

As soon as he left, it got very quiet. I looked up to ask Kiki about America when I noticed she had spaced out again. I waved my hand in front of her face and said, "Hello? Anyone home?"

"Whoa, huh?" She replied, startled.

"You were leaving planet Earth!" I teased. After a pause, I asked, "What were you thinking about?"

"Have I told you about Lily's problem?" she asked.

"Uhh, no…. Is she alright?" I asked.

"Well, yeah. But she's having some relationship troubles with an old friend."

"Emiline Vance? I heard they had a fight, but I thought they got over it." He guessed.

"No, this guy named Severus, do ya know him?"

"Wait, Snivellus? She still talks to that insolent toe rag? I don't believe it!"

"I take it you weren't the best of friends." She chuckled.

"He was this little prat from Slytherin who James and I hate. Lily used to be friends back in the first years we went to Hogwarts. Then James and Lily started dating and Snivellus joined the Death Eaters. No one has heard from him since. Well, unless Lily really did talk to him. In that case, something's up. Can't I tell James?" He pleaded.

"NO. I promised Lily we wouldn't tell him. Do you want them to argue? Because I don't think you do. Promise me…friend to friend." She said the word friend like she would say the devil's name, so I thought it best to cooperate.

"Alright, fine. But make sure Lily doesn't hold everything inside, because we both know she will suffer in silence and never tell anyone about it. And we also need to tell Remus, OK?"

"OK." She replied with a smile.

A moment later, Remus came back with our red tea and we told him all about Lily's problem. His face turned grim when he heard this because Lily had always been a shoulder he could lean on when being a werewolf became too stressful.

"I think the best thing we can do for Lily at this moment is to let her know we are there for her. She should feel better when she realizes we're right behind her." I don't know if he was talking about Lily or himself.

We finished our tea and decided to head back home before it got dark. As we left, Remus pulled me aside while Kiki was getting her coat on.

"Just friends? Really? I think someone has a crush! I don't think she likes the term 'friends' much though. She looks like she wants to be more. Get a move on!" Remus teased.

"Butt out man. She just broke up with her last boyfriend two days ago!"

"Ohhh, so now we are Mr. Understanding? What a change!"

I didn't know how to reply to this, so I just shrugged and walked over to Kiki. Once we were out on the street again, I grasped her hand and we Disapparated to Godric's Hollow. I offered to walk her home. My excuse for doing so was that she had a lot of bags to carry and couldn't do so by herself. Really, I just wanted to talk to her for a longer time.

"So what'd you think of Remus?" I asked.

"He's cool. Kinda goofy, but really nice. I don't know why you thought he'd be in such a bad mood, he seemed perfectly fine to me."

"Yeah, well, he has his off moments, It's hard to tell what mood he'll be in every day." I stated.

"Kinda like you!" she teased.

"Hey, that's not true! I'm a perfectly well balanced wizard!" I protested.

"If you say so!" she said sarcastically.

"Yes I do say so. So there, HA!" I pushed her playfully.

"Hey!" she yelled and pushed me back harder.

And we continued like that all the way to her apartment, pushing and shoving each other, giggling all the while and basically joking around. When we finally got to her door, we were both sore and laughing our heads off.

"See you tomorrow?" she asked when we finally gained control of ourselves.

"Sure, lets plan on having lunch or dinner together." I suggested.

"OK, see you then!" she replied as she closed her door.

I left for the Potters' feeling better than I had in days.


	7. Bacchette Entertwined

Kiki's POV

Sirius showed up at my apartment around 4 PM. He was wearing jeans and a zipped up jacket, so I assumed it was going to be an informal outing. I myself was wearing skinny jeans and a cami under a jacket with my favorite band (The Hallow Haunters) on the front. They're like America's Weird Sisters.

"So, where are we going?" I grimaced at how cliché that sounded.

"It's a surprise. But I suggest you change into a different jacket - not that it doesn't look awesome on you." He added quickly. "Its just where we are going, you might not want to wear that." Sirius smiled like he was lording having a secret from me.

"Okay. You aren't taking me to an abandoned warehouse to murder me, are you?" I joked.

"No promises!" He grinned teasingly. "Now go change! We don't want to be late." Sirius exclaimed.

"Argh, fine!" I smiled.

I went back upstairs and found my black cardigan. If that wasn't good enough, I don't know what would be.

As I walked back downstairs, I heard a roar from out front. I ran down the stairs and out the door, concerned that we were being attacked by Death Eaters, only to find Sirius astride a gigantic motorcycle.

"Oh my god! What the heck is that? It's AWESOME!" I exclaimed loudly.

"It's my old motorcycle. You like it? I got it with James after we read this book about…a boy…..who was brought to his Aunt and Uncle's on a giant motor bike." Sirius replied, grinning.

"I absolutely love it, how fast can it go?" I asked.

"Well, it goes pretty fast in the air-" Sirius started

"IT CAN FLY?" I interrupted.

"Well, yeah. We are wizards you know." Sirius laughed.

"Are we going to ride it?" I asked.

"Of course. Jump on!" Sirius patted the seat directly behind him. I looked at the side car and wondered if I should ride in it instead. OH, what the heck. I thought, It's not every day you get to ride a giant flying motorcycle. I jumped on behind him. Now I was faced with the next complication of whether I should hold on to his waist or not.

"Better hold on tight! Sirius called back over the roar of the engine, saving me from an awkward moment. I held on to him, placing my arms around his waist and laying my head on his back. Sirius stepped on the gas and we flew up in the air.

"How can the muggles not see this?" I yelled, barely hearing my own voice over the rushing wind.

"I put a few charms on it. If a muggle were to glance up at us, they would just see a slight disturbance in the air." Sirius explained.

I stared at him, amazed. "I didn't know you knew how to do that!"

"I didn't make it through Hogwarts by standing on my head!" Sirius laughed. "I actually paid attention during charms."

A couple minutes later, we touched down in the middle of Diagon Alley. I dismounted and Sirius took out his wand, pointed it at the motorcycle and whispered, "Reducio!" The bike shrank to the size of a muggle child's toy bike. He tucked it away in his coat and came over to me. He grasped my hand and led me to the sidewalk.

"Okay, I have to put this over your eyes so you don't see the surprise before the grand unveiling." He said, pulling out a small strip of cloth. I let him tie it over my eyes before he pulled me along the streets. Right, left, left, right again. I lost count around the fifth turn.

"Alright, we're here!" He said, pulling off my blindfold with a flourish.

I was temporarily blinded by the sudden light, but then I saw a huge sign with two bent wands and big scrawling letters spelling out _Bacchette Entertwined _. I nearly fainted.

"How did you get reservations for this place on a Friday night? Let alone this year!" I nearly kissed him, but then I remembered that this wasn't an official date.

"Remember Charlie Bernard from Hufflepuff?" He asked. I nodded. "Well, a while back, Charlie found himself in a bit of trouble. He was in the middle of dinner with his girlfriend when he remembered that it was her birthday and he didn't have anything for her. So James and I were trying to get him a present to give her and James had to...well, long story short, Charlie's dad owns this place, so Charlie promised us a both a dinner here anytime, as long as we called a day in advance." Sirius explained, smiling like I would think it was the most brilliant thing in the world... which I actually did.

"Well, it's the best surprise I have ever had." I smiled. "I never thought I would see the inside of this place, forget eat in it!" I was amazed. After all, this was a romantic restaurant, so did that mean that Sirius thought of me in a romantic way? I kinda hoped so.

"This is your lucky day, then. Now lets stop standing around like idiots and go in!" Sirius raced ahead and held open the door for me. We walked in and found what looked like a forest with tables suspended with vines. People sat around these tables without anything supporting them.

"Very clever use of the Hover charm." I commented.

A waiter flew over to us on a broomstick. "Hello, sir and madam. Do you have a reservation?" He said in a thick French accent.

"Yes, its under Seriously Awesome for two." Sirius said with a straight face. The waiter left to check our reservation. While he was gone I started cracking up.

Sirius took one look at my expression and started cracking up, too. "Well, the regular ol' "Mr. Black" is so boring! I thought I might make it a bit more interesting!" He said through barely controlled barks of laughter, which only made me laugh harder. When the waiter came back, we were laughing our heads off.

"Right this way, Mr. Black." He led us to a particularly good spot right by a small water fall. He took our orders, and procured two glasses of firewhisky. As he flew away I heard him whisper "_Imbéciles_."

There was only one other table by the fountain and the people who had that table weren't there yet, so we had the area to ourselves for a while. We talked about Remus and how we should see if we could set him up with a girl so he wouldn't be so lonely all the time. Sirius seemed against the idea, and I couldn't imagine why. What is it with guys not wanting to set their mates up with someone nice? It's ridiculous.

Just then, the people at the next table appeared. I looked twice, because it was Lily and James! I pointed them out to Sirius and he called out to James.

Lily suddenly got a fantastic idea. She called out to the waiter. "Do you think it's possible we can join tables? They are some of our friends, you see."

Apparently, the waiter was impressed with Lily's manners as opposed to us _imbéciles_, and, with a flourish of his wand, our tables magically merged together into a table for four.

"So, James, decided to take up Charlie's offer? What a coincidence that we chose the exact same night!" Sirius grinned, then started a long conversation about how they should pull a prank on Peter Pettigrew, their other friend that I have never met.

Lily turned to me and smiled coyly. "Sooooo," She dragged out the "o" in a sly manner. "You and Sirius. Alone. In England's finest, romantic, Italian restaurant. Did James and I catch Kiki Thomas and Sirius Black on a date?" Lily whispered.

"Well, not officially. We were just hanging out yesterday and decided to have a meal together today to, you know, talk." I said shyly.

"Oh, you are so naive! Honey, that's the very definition of date! Spill while the guys are still distracted."

So I told her about the clothes, the motorcycle, to which she confided in me that Sirius only takes girls he really likes on the bike to see if they are too girly to like bikes. When I told her how I thought it was awesome, she looked relieved. I told her about how he led me around Diagon Alley in a blindfold, and how Sirius decided to call himself awesome - she snorted at that one.

Our food came and we started talking about how Dumbledore would be spending his summer. The boys seemed convinced that he went around to different Disney resorts and played Merlin.

Before I knew it, desserts were being served. We had two wand bars with Red Vine licorice sticks acting as phoenix tail feathers. Sirius and I shared one, as did James and Lily. When we were done, the boys paid the bill - even though Lily and I offered to share our expenses.

"No, love. This is our treat to you." James said, gently kissing Lily.

We went outside and Lily and James said goodbye because they were going to a small concert for a local band. Sirius pulled the bike out of his pocket and returned it to normal size. I fell asleep on the way back and didn't wake up until we reached my apartment.

"I really had a great time. Especially that bike, I absolutely love it." I said as soon as we reached my door.

"Well, I hoped you would." Sirius smiled softly, then hesitated before continuing. "Hey, Kiki, can I tell you something?" He asked.

"Sure, anything. Shoot." I said, thinking he was going to tell me about his latest prank or something of that nature.

There was a long pause before he finally spoke. "Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked quickly.

I was caught so off guard that I almost dropped my doggy bag. I thought for a second before saying softly, "I'd like that."

Then, almost as if it was pre-planned, we kissed. It was the most wonderful thing in the world. He was a lot better kisser than Mene, trust me. Then he gently stopped and gave me a hug.

"Next month is James's birthday, and Lily is throwing him a huge party. Will you go with me, Girlfriend?" Sirius smiled when he said "Girlfriend."

"I'd love to, Boyfriend." I smiled before adding "I think that would be Seriously Awesome!"

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" Sirius laughed.

"Nope. Now go home so I can go to bed; I'm falling asleep on my feet!" I teased, smiling broadly at him.

"Alright, alright! Goodbye, love." Sirius smiled at me before getting back on his bike and driving off into the night.


	8. Old Friends Meet Again

**Lily's POV**

Kiki and I were shopping.

We were in the middle of London trying on different costumes for James' party. I couldn't decide between Cleopatra and a Genie. Kiki had already decided on a ninja costume. Something about how she and Sirius played a ninja game or something.

"I don't know, what do you think?" I asked Kiki.

"Well, with your red hair, you would rock that genie outfit. Besides, who wants to dress up like some dead queen on their boyfriend's birthday anyway?" Kiki said, not looking up from a set of Samurai swords she had found behind a medieval shield, "Besides, Alice is coming as Cleopatra, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, I completely forgot. Genie it is. I feel like I'm in Aladdin." I mused.

"Alladawho?" Kiki gave me a bewildered once-over.

"Oh, it's a muggle story about an Arab who falls in love with a girl and finds a magic lamp with a genie inside." I explained.

"That's silly. Everyone knows genies live in Holland, not Arabia." Kiki went back to her samurai swords, "So why are we looking through a muggle shop instead of just zapping ourselves into the coolest costumes ever."

"Well, everyone is going to be in 'the coolest costumes ever,' so if everyone is wearing the coolest costumes, than the costumes are no longer cool because everyone is wearing them, so by wearing muggle costumes, we are going to look the coolest because everyone else would be just average." I explained in one breath.

"Umm, I lost you at 'no longer cool,' but I think I know what you mean; since having a magical costume is normal for wizards, we will be abnormal, and therefore exotic?" Kiki said slowly, smirking proudly.

"Exactly." I turned and started laughing hysterically.

"What's up?" Kiki turned to see what I was laughing at and saw two costumes for men; a pirate and a samurai, both on the discount rack because nobody wanted them. The pirate had a fake parrot on the shoulder, a baggy shirt, black tights, and a black eye-patch. The samurai had two plastic swords, pointed boots, and a plastic belt with two sheaths for the swords.

I went up and examined them. I turned to her with a devious smile on my face, also known as the Marauder's grin. "They are the perfect sizes for the boys!"

"Oh, we shouldn't!" Kiki started giggling and had to cover her mouth to avoid attracting attention.

"Oh, come on! Let's buy them!" I ran up to the cashier and bought all four costumes.

"Can you imagine the boys in this?" Kiki pulled out the costumes. "Which one will Sirius wear?"

"Well, you are going as a ninja, so he should be the samurai. He is your boyfriend after all." I smiled again.

Kiki blushed and turned to the pirate costume and grinned at it. I was surprised, because it was a perfect Marauder's grin!

"So that means that this is James' costume! The birthday boy is going to look hilarious!" Kiki and I started laughing again.

"So have you gotten him a present yet?" I asked her.

"No, I can't figure out what to get him. I know it should be something related to jokes or mischief or something, but I can't figure out what!" Kiki sighed.

"What about some muggle magic tricks?" I suggested. "He finds them fascinating. They give him ideas for new pranks."

"Really? Well, can you help me find some?" Kiki asked.

"Sure, follow me!" I grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards a magic shop I knew on the next street. "And while we are in this part of town, I know of a great furniture store. You were thinking of re-doing your apartment, right?"

"Yeah, but I need to paint it first. I think I might just paint designs on the walls. I hate just having solid colors; they're so boring!" Kiki stated.

"Ok, maybe you should have a small party to come help!" I silently started planning this out.

"I dunno. I am kinda picky about art. I only like certain types, like vibrant swirls. I love those. But I hate things like cubism. It feels so limited to me." Kiki and I entered the magic store. When Kiki caught sight of a disappearing coin trick, she nearly fell to the floor laughing.

"Ki, stop! You're attracting attention!" I whispered urgently. She straightened up and attempted to control the onslaught of giggles.

"It's not that funny," I smiled at how easily amused she was.

"It's just so ridiculous! Muggles are so simple sometimes!" Kiki paused, turning to me. Then she said, "That didn't offend you, did it? Because I didn't mean it to"

"Nah, it's true! I was thinking that as well, so don't worry about it," I smiled at her reassuringly. Kiki hates making people feel bad, unless they deserve it.

"Good. So, I need help, which one is best for a guy like James?" Kiki turned from one muggle trick to the next, her face getting more and more contorted as she tried not to laugh.

I led her over to a small magic kit, complete with a deck of cards and a magic cape with a matching wand. James needed some muggle cards anyway. Kiki bought it without a second thought. (She accidentally tried to pay with a $100 bill, so we decided I should probably handle the money transitions from then on.)

After leaving the magic shop, we headed to the furniture store to get an idea of how Ki wanted to decorate her pad.

"I dunno, maybe I should wait until I paint to look at styles." Kiki whispered as we walked around the strangely quiet furniture store.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to look." After walking around for ten minutes, I started to get nervous. "Where is everybody?"

"Maybe they're all in the back?" Kiki said uncertainly.

We walked to the back of the building, still not seeing anyone. All of a sudden, we heard a piercing scream from behind the employee's only door. We ran in to find about ten muggles writhing on the floor in pain as three hooded Death Eaters cackled in the background. Luckily, they hadn't noticed us, yet. Kiki whipped into action; pulling out her wand, she stunned the largest and began dueling with a second. I quickly sent my Patronus to the ministry to inform the aurors, and then I started to duel with the third. He seemed reluctant to fight, and for some reason didn't speak. He silently sent stunning spells and other trivial jinxes at me, but never a killing curse. For some reason, he was familiar to me. I was trying to figure out who it was, when his sleeve on his right arm shifted slightly, revealing a small scar. Suddenly, I recognized him. I lowered my wand, and so did he.

"Severus," I whispered in horror. At that moment, a jet of blue light hit him squarely in the chest and he fell backwards with a crash and didn't move. Kiki appeared from behind me and snatched his wand from his hand.

"I just knocked him out for a little while," Kiki turned to the muggles, who were unconscious on the ground. I watched, amazed, as she pulled a vial from her coat pocket. "Some of Madam Pomfrey's healing elixir. I had her make a batch before we left just in case something like this happened," She went around to each of the muggles and poured five drops into their mouths. They remained unconscious, but the looks on their faces softened as the elixir erased the pain. "There, that ought to hold them until they get to St. Mungo's. What is it?" Kiki asked, noticing my expression for the first time.

"Severus." I said, pointing to his unconscious body.

"Wait, that's the guy who made you so upset earlier?" Kiki asked, looking at him with even more disgust than before. I nodded. Suddenly, she spat at him.

"Ki!" I tuned away and let a tear fall down.

"Well, the ministry will give him what he deserves," Kiki said.

"I can't just leave him here!" I protested.

"Why? Lily, he tortured these muggles!" Kiki said with complete disgust.

"I know, but we were friends," I said weakly.

"Lily, you were friends. He is no longer the kid you knew," Kiki sighed. "Fine, but don't expect me to be nice to him when he wakes up."

"Don't worry, Sev won't be getting any TLC from us." I smiled weakly.

We quickly moved Severus to an abandoned warehouse I knew of (don't ask.) Kiki went back to the shop to inform the aurors of what happened (excluding the fact that Severus was there) and I stayed behind in case Severus woke up.

When Kiki came back, Severus was still unconscious, so we sat down and started talking.

"How did you recognize him?" Kiki asked, keeping her wand aimed at Sev with a determined steadiness.

"Back in our first year at Hogwarts, I was tutoring him in potions because he was having trouble. You'd never know he was a complete mess at potions now, on a count of him being second best in our year. Anyways, we got in a small fight. Sev didn't believe me when I told him to substitute a few directions on a Simple Sleeping Drought. So he tried to do it himself, and ended up accidentally spilling the result on his arm. I had to burn it off because he added the wrong ingredient and made a sticking solvent instead. He still has a scar," I remembered all the times Sev didn't believe me when I told him something, and how it always ended up with him embarrassing himself.

"Idiot," Kiki spat.

"He's not an idiot; he just doesn't always make the best decisions," I frowned at how weak that sounded.

"Whatever. Shouldn't we tie him up?" Kiki asked uncertainly.

"No, we have his wand, what's he gonna do?" I replied. But, feeling uncertain myself, I cast a binding charm on him that would limit his movements. "You really hit him hard," I commented. "Normally, that particular spell only lasts for a couple minutes. He's been out for at least half an hour!"

"Thanks, I pride myself on my combat skills" Kiki smiled. It's true though. She was the best in our Defense Against the Dark Arts class. I'm just surprised she doesn't want to be an Auror. She just wants to paint - and I can see why, because she has great talent.

At that moment, a great moan came from Severus' direction. I looked over and saw him start to stir. That's when I started to freak out. What was I going to say? Was I going to just let him go? Oh, why didn't I just let the ministry take care of him? Then, I felt a hand on my shoulder and heard Kiki whisper, "Don't worry. I'm gonna be right here."

Severus opened his eyes. He was still a bit groggy, so he didn't seem to notice the two of them sitting just a few feet away. He slowly sat up and shook his head. "Where am I?" He whispered. Then he realized he couldn't move his arms. He struggled a little and tried to find his wand. That's when I gathered enough courage to stand up.

"No use trying to find your wand, Sev; I have it right here." I said. He looked up, startled, and then smiled.

"Lily Evans. I haven't seen you since I was fifteen."

"That's your fault, now isn't it?" I said with pure venom in my voice.

"Yeah, it is. But why go to all the trouble of saving me from Azkaban? I'm sure the ministry would have given me a proper sentence." Severus mused.

"Because I wanted to deal with you myself. Besides, I'm sure your master would have you out in a jiffy. Can't have his key pet locked in a kennel, now, can he?" I spat. I was getting more and more fed up with Severus' little taunts.

"Come, now. You don't really feel like that! The Dark Lord would love to have Lily Evans on his team. The right team." Severus said.

"The right team?" Kiki whispered, trembling with rage. "Since when is killing and torturing innocent people right? Since when does causing panic and mass destruction the right thing? Since when does making a child spend her teenage years trying to get over the fact that her parents are no longer going to help her the right thing?" Kiki was shouting now, her eyes were filled with a fire I had never seen before.

"Ah, you must be Kiki Thomas. I know all about you and your family. Yes, didn't they get blasted to smithereens because they were too stupid to know what's best for them?"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Kiki screamed. She sprang up to him and slapped him across the face so hard he cried out in pain and a bright red mark appeared on the side of his face. I would gladly have let her continue, except she would most likely knock him unconscious again, so I quickly stepped in. "No, Ki. He's not worth it."

Kiki sat back down, but the fire in her eyes seemed to grow stronger than a forest fire.

I knelt by Severus, turned his face toward me, and whispered into his ear, "I hate you. You were once my best friend, but now I see that you have turned into a monster. You sicken me, and if I ever see your face again, I won't hesitate to kill you or turn you in to the ministry." I stood up and glared down for a second, and then I turned to Ki and said, "Come on. Let's leave this scumbag to himself." I helped her up and together we walked to the door.

When I closed the door, I heard Sev whisper so softly, it was obvious he didn't want me to hear, "I don't blame you. I only wish I could show you how much this hurts me to do, because I love you.

Then, tears streaming down my face, Kiki and I disapparated back to my apartment.


	9. Samurai Sirius

**Kiki's POV**

Lily and I were on the front page of the Daily Prophet.

**Two Locals Defeat Death Eaters and Save Muggles.**

_Kiki Blaire Thomas and Lillian Evans were shopping in a muggle furniture store last Monday when they discovered five Death Eaters torturing ten muggle employees by the way of the Cruciatus Curse. The two witches daringly dueled the offenders and managed to subdue them until a team of Aurors arrived at the scene and apprehended them. Unfortunately three of the Death Eaters managed to slip away before reinforcements could be dispatched. No one was killed in the incident, but the muggles are being treated for minor wounds and mind wipes at St. Mungo's. If anyone has any information as to the whereabouts of the escape Death Eaters, please contact the Auror office at the ministry._

"Wow, Kiki and Lily are famous now. I don't know if we can live up to them!" Sirius joked with James, putting the article which he had been reading out loud back in his bag. We were sitting in Lily and James' kitchen having coffee and cauldron cakes the Sunday after the attack.

"Yeah, I know. I wish we could meet them," Lily said from behind her curtain of hair.

"What do you mean?" James turned to her.

"That article was a load of dragon dung. There were only three Death Eaters, one muggle died after the attack, and by the time the Aurors arrived, two of the Death Eaters were unconscious on the floor. The Ministry is making it sound a lot bigger than it was," I grumbled.

"Aw, come on Kicks!" Sirius teased. "You're famous! You should enjoy this!"

"I can't enjoy this! A muggle died because I was too stupid to realize that something was wrong when we first walked in the store. And don't call me Kicks!" Sirius had been trying to come up with a nickname for me besides Ki. So far he tried Kibble, Kiddy, and Kinz. All of which I thought were ridiculous.

"Well, you need a nickname! All of us have at least one. Lily is Lily Petal, James is Prongs, Remus is Remmie, Peter is Wormy, and even I'm Padfoot." Sirius said, sounding exasperated.

"Why can't I be Ki?" I whined.

"Because that isn't a name we made up!" Sirius said, pointing to everyone in the room. "Besides, it lacks imagination!"

"Arghh! Fine, but have Lily help you." I finally relented.

"YESSS!' Sirius pumped his fist triumphantly.

"Ok, moving on." Lily interrupted. "James' party is tomorrow. Kiki, did you get the decorations?"

"Yep, I have them at my house. I got tons!" I smiled triumphantly.

"Good. Sirius, did you manage to book the Weird Sisters?" Lily produced a small check board.

"Yeah, I know their lead singer, so we got it covered." Sirius boasted.

"And James, did you get-"

"-The invitations were sent out over a week ago and the caterer is all set. Lils, we got it covered." James pulled her into a hug.

"I know, I know. I just want it to be perfect for you." Lily said.

"It already is. Did you girls get us costumes?" James asked.

"Oh yeah! We forgot to show them!" I winked at Lily.

"That's to be expected, what with Lily getting hit with a sadness spell." Sirius said with a little more sarcasm than I'd like. Lily and I exchanged glances. We had told the boys that the reason Lily was so down was because she had been hit with a mood jinx in the fray of the chaos and she was still being affected. I think Sirius may be suspicious though.

Lily went over to the closet and pulled out the bag of costumes. "We were at the costume shop when we saw these, and they were the perfect sizes for both of you!" She said, pulling out the costumes with a flourish.

"WHAT?" James and Sirius both jumped up, sped across the room, and each picked up a costume.

"Which one is which?" James asked.

"Well, the pirate is you, and Sirius is the samurai." I giggled.

"I…..I…..I LOVE IT!" James shouted to everyone's surprise.

"Have you gone completely daft, mate?" Sirius chuckled.

James put on the costume on and turned to us, grinning beneath the bandana he had tied around his head. "ARRG! Shiver me timbers!" He said.

We all fell over laughing at how much he was enjoying himself.

Lily pulled out her wand saying, "Wait, it needs a few adjustments!" and, pointing it at James' face, she twirled it. A small mustache grew from his upper lip, and an eye-patch appeared over his left eye.

"And the final touch!" I said, pulling out my wand as well and giving James a wooden leg. We took one look at him and burst out laughing again.

"Alright, alright, Sirius' turn!" James turned to Sirius with a devious smile on his face.

"Ugh, do I have to?" Sirius whined.

"YES!" we all cheered.

"Fine, but don't expect me to enjoy it!" Sirius relented. He went into the bathroom to change, and I turned to Lily and we both burst into giggles.

"What?" James asked.

"Sirius is going to look so ridiculous in that." Lily chortled.

"Well, he won't look so bad, I guess. He is rather handsome." I smiled.

"He probably won't be handsome enough; you would have to be a supermodel to make that costume work." Lily said.

All of a sudden, Sirius shouted from the next room, "Drum roll please!"

"Badadadadadadadada" James shouted.

Sirius stepped through the door, and Lily and I fell silent, while James whistled. He looked absolutely gorgeous! I was speechless.

"What?" Sirius asked. "Does it look bad?"

I just smiled and turned to James as he said, "Umm, I think they picked a good costume for you." He vaguely stated.

"OK." Sirius said.

I finally came out of my trance and gave him a kiss on the cheek and said, "It's cool."

"So Kiki, what do you think you're gonna do with your apartment?" James asked.

"Oh Sirius and I were thinking that we should just doodle on the walls together and I will have a room where we can all just freestyle it." I said.

"Cool, so when are we gonna do this?" Lily asked.

"I'm thinking next Friday." I said.

"Not a good idea, don't you remember what next Friday is?" Lily looked at me like I had just declared myself to be a duck.

"Umm, the five day anniversary of right now?" I teased.

"It's the thirteenth! If we paint your walls then, we will all mess up, or get into a fight!" Lily said frantically.

"What?" I laughed. "Where did you get that load of rubbish from?"

"Everyone knows that Friday the thirteenth is the unluckiest day of the year!" Lily said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh Lily! That's just a muggle superstition! It's not really unlucky." Sirius called from the next room where he was changing back into his robes.

"No, really! I had a cousin once who didn't believe, and when Friday the thirteenth came around, he had to go to the hospital after being pulled off a horse and trampled!" Lily insisted.

James thought quick and said, "Well I know for a fact that a way to counteract the bad luck is to travel in even numbers, so we will be just fine as long as Kiki doesn't invite anyone else."

"Oh, ok." Lily said, surprising us all by not doubting James' words. Then, she slipped back into her silent contemplations.

"Um, ok….." Sirius said, looking at Lily with concern.

"Well, Sirius and I are going to go pick out some paint colors for Friday, so I will see you tomorrow. What time do you want me to be here, Lily?" Sirius and I rose from the table and James went to get our coats.

"No later than 3:00." Lily said.

"I'll be here!" I turned to go.

"Ki!" Lily called. I walked back over to her and she whispered, "You need to tell Sirius. I don't want him to find out any other way. But DON'T tell James, he would just go get himself killed."

"Um, ok. Why?" I asked.

"Because I can't let you lie to him for me." Lily said.

"Alright, if you're sure," I said.

At that moment, James called form the hall, "C'mon slowpoke! Sirius is falling asleep!"

In the background I heard Sirius pretend to snore. Lily and I giggled and I went into the hall to find Sirius curled up in a ball on the floor with his thumb in his mouth.

"Wow, he looks like he did when he took the N.E.W.T.s!" I commented.

"Hey! I will have you know that I managed to look like I was awake the whole time!" Sirius protested.

"If you say so," James teased.

"Ok, well, we'll see you later!" I called back to Lily.

As we left, I heard Lily sniffle softly. Sirius and I walked for a while in silence, when all of a sudden, he stopped.

"Lily didn't get hit with any spell, did she?" He said, staring straight into my eyes.

I sighed, "No, she didn't." I admitted.

"Was there a good reason for her to pretend like she had?" He asked.

"Yes, but-" I started.

"I don't need to know yet then." He interrupted. Then, he kissed me on the cheek and continued walking.

I stood there for a second before running to catch up with him. "But she wants you to."

"Well, what is it?" Sirius asked.

"You might want to sit down, it's a long story." I said, leading him over to a park bench. "The day we went shopping, the day of the attack, one of the Death Eaters got away."

"I know, you told me that already." Sirius said, raising one eyebrow.

"Yes, but there is more. He didn't just get away."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.

"Well, we sort of helped him." I said. Sirius just stayed silent, so I continued. "I didn't want to, but Lily insisted. She said she had to, because she knew this person for a long time."

"Oh no," Sirius groaned, the answer dawning on him, "Snivellus."

I nodded. "Lily didn't want to tell anyone because she was afraid that you or James would go try to hunt him down and get yourselves killed, but you can't tell James. Not yet."

Sirius sighed, "Fine. But you need to tell me exactly what happened."

So I told him. I relived every detail, almost like I was watching that day on a TV. When I finished, Sirius just sat there staring straight at me. Then, he pulled me close in a hug.

"You slapped him? I am so proud of you!" He smiled. I blushed and laid my head on his chest.

"I'm worried about Lily, though. What if she lets what he said to her get through?" I said, looking up into his perfect eyes.

"Well, we will have to stick close to her and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid, that's all." Sirius said.

"Ok, it's a deal." I said, sealing it with a kiss. "Now let's go get that paint! I want to get it before the stores close." I pulled him to his feet and raced him to the shop.


	10. Birthday Bash

**Lily's POV**

_I was running. Running toward the burning inferno that was my home. The Dark Mark was glowing brightly above the door._

_"God, please, please don't let it be true…" I whispered to myself. I ran inside, turned the corner, and saw them. My parents; Lying on the floor, eyes wide, lifeless. I fell to the ground, screaming and sobbing. I couldn't bear to let them burn, so I carried them outside. Only then did I realize the dark figures that had appeared around me. Screaming with fury, I ran at the nearest one and started to hit and kick him as hard as I could. They did nothing, so I tore back their hood and saw . . . Severus. "You TRAITOR! I HATE YOU! I wish you'd just die. My parents…My parents…" I fell to the ground. When I looked up, there was a wand . . . HIS wand . . . pointed right at me . . ._

_"Crucio" It was barely a whisper. Agonizing pain . . . screaming . . . someone shaking me . . ._

"Lily! Lily, wake up! It's just a dream, it's just a dream!"

James was shaking my shoulders. I could hear someone screaming. After a few seconds I realized it was me. I choked to a stop and sat, sobbing, on my bed. James wrapped his arms around me and I rested my head on his shoulder, crying all the while.

"I dreamed I was back at the house . . . on that night when-" I stopped short when a sob came from my lips. I couldn't finish.

"It's ok, it's over now," James whispered. "I won't let anything hurt you. Ever."

I know, I thought. But how can you keep me from hurting myself?

I don't know how long we sat like that, but the next thing I know was the sun poking through the curtains.

"Good morning, love." James whispered in my ear.

"Good morning," I said, snuggling closer to him and smiling, "and happy birthday!"

We went down stairs and were surprised to see Sirius and Kiki sitting at the table with a plate of donuts in front of them.

"Happy Birthday, mate. Thought we should bring you something, it being your birthday and all." Sirius said with a wide grin on his face.

"Thanks, Padfoot. I must say, I never expected you to do something like this," James admitted.

"Yeah, well, she made me." Sirius said, nodding at Ki.

"I did no such thing! Besides, we ran into each other at the bakery while I was picking up the cake." Kiki protested.

"Cake? Where?" James looked around eagerly.

"It's at my apartment. You aren't allowed to see it until the party tonight." Ki explained.

"Aw, why not?" James whined.

"Because it's a surprise, stupid," said Sirius, chuckling loudly.

James stuck his tongue out at Sirius.

After a quick breakfast, I sent everyone out on errands for the party.

"Nice party, Lily." Bertha Jorkins commented.

"Thanks, Bertha." I smiled. If Bertha was having a good time, then most everyone was. She was notorious for being a critic and a gossip girl.

I had just started walking around and checking to make sure everything was going well when James grabbed my arm and pulled me over to where everyone was dancing.

"C'mon, Lils! Just enjoy the party!" He said. I cracked a smile as I looked him over in his costume. In a way, he looked kinda adorable. Although, I admit, the parrot was a bit much.

Looking around, I saw Sirius and Kiki on the couch talking. Kiki looked more at peace than I've seen her in years, and it made me smile. All of a sudden, Vera Stanwick (Sirius' ex) came over to them. I groaned, which caused James to look over and frown. Vera seemed to be very interested in Sirius' costume.

Since Ki looked like she was about to murder the girl, James and I quickly went over to lend a hand. When we reached them, Sirius was looking very nervous as Vera sat on his lap.

"Um, Vera, have you met my good friend Barty? I think you'd like him…" said James as he led her away from Sirius.

"Thanks, Lily Pad," Sirius sighed. "I'm sorry about that, Ki. She can't seem to get it through her head that I don't like her anymore."

"Well, while she has an illusion, I have the real thing," Ki said, poking Sirius in the side.

Leaving them to themselves, I rejoined James and led him over to the cake. After several people tried and failed to sing happy birthday, Kiki took pity on them and she and Sirius sang to James. I took the cover off the cake and everyone gasped. It was a perfect replica of a Quidditch field. Ki and I had used magic to make it look like little Quidditch players were playing a game on it, and as everyone watched, a tiny James caught the snitch and won the game just as James blew out the candles. Everybody cheered and James turned and kissed me full on the lips, which made everybody cheer louder.

A few glasses of firewhisky later, everyone was gone and we were cleaning up, albeit a bit clumsily. Sirius had collapsed on the couch with Kiki snuggled up next to him, so we left them like that and went to bed ourselves.

Once we were in bed and almost asleep, I heard James whisper quietly: "Best. Birthday. Ever."


	11. Six New Comrades

Sirius's POV

I woke up to find Kiki's head resting on my chest. I couldn't remember what had happened at first, but then it all came back to me. I grimaced when I remembered Vera's little stunt. We had dated back in our sixth year, but we broke up when I found out that she was cheating on me with none other than my little brother, Regulus. He has long since disappeared, so it's likely that Vera thought she could just wander back to me. Thank God I have Kiki now. As I thought this, she yawned and opened her eyes.

"Morning, Love," I whispered, grinning."

"Hey, what happened?" she asked sleepily.

"I think we might have fallen asleep," I joked.

"Really? I never would have guessed," she rolled her eyes, but she smiled in spite of herself.

As content as we were sitting on the sofa, we decided that we should get up and start making breakfast for the four of us. We went into the kitchen and I proceeded to make bacon while she pulled out the pancake mix. As we worked, we joked around a bit and at one point, we ended up having a food making contest to see who could make better food. We were so absorbed in our cooking that we didn't notice James and Lily until they burst out laughing after Kiki threw some flour at me because I was trying to steal some of her pancakes.

"Ah, it seems the sleepyheads finally decided to join us, Sirius." Kiki teased.

"Well, I hope they don't think they are getting any of this food. They've been much too lazy!" I lectured.

"Awwww, c'mon mate! It's the day after my birthday!" James complained.

"Birthday rights only last for the actual day," I retorted. Of course, I was only teasing and a few minutes later, we were all sitting at the counter eating breakfast.

"So I have decided to postpone painting my apartment until next month." Kiki suddenly announced.

"What? Why?! Is it because of what I said about Friday the 13th? I take it back!" Lily fretted.

"Haha, no Lils. It's because some of our old friends from Hogwarts called me yesterday to tell me they are moving in to the apartments next to mine. I offered to help them move," Kiki explained.

"Oh, cool! Who are they?" James asked.

"I don't know if you all would remember them. They were in Ravenclaw with me. Their names are Jules Weasley, Mariam Russel, Caroline Tennant, Aiden Pond, Jamie Edwards, and...Harry Joseph," Kiki said the last name quietly and the fire in her eyes disappeared for a second.

"Hey, I remember Harry and Jamie! Those guys are awesome! And Aiden and Mariam are cool, aren't they dating?" James smiled.

"Yes, they are. And you should remember Jules and Caroline, they were the only reason you passed Transfiguration," Lily scolded James.

"OH YEAH! I remember now! I called them Jewel and River though...long story." James smiled at some long forgotten joke.

Kiki smiled, but I knew something was up. I don't remember ever meeting this Harry guy, but something about the name rings a bell.

"Well, when will they get here?" I asked.

"In three days, I am planning on going into town to buy them house warming presents."

"Well, I guess we are all going to your apartment in three days then! We would all love to help, wouldn't we?" Lily said, eyeing James as if daring him to refuse.

"Definitely! I want to show Harry my new muggle tricks. Sirius, you are going to love him. A regular laugh!" James was oblivious to Lily's hints, and he seemed really exited to see his old friends. I looked over at Kiki and saw that the look of long forgotten sadness pass over her again. It was gone within a second, but I definitely saw it.

"Cool, mate. Looking forward to it," I replied nonchalantly. "Ki, do you want some help with those gifts?" I offered. I was concerned and wanted some time to talk to her.

"Sure, thanks Love," she smiled.

We left the apartment and walked off to the village.


	12. Surprise!

Kiki's POV  
>As Sirius and I walked toward the village, he gently reached over and put his arm around my waist.<br>"So are you going to tell me about this Harry guy, or will I need to ask Lily," he whispered.  
>I pulled away and hastily said, "It's nothing."<br>Sirius, unconvinced, continued walking for a second, then he said,"How come I recognize his name?"  
>I sighed and said, "I don't know," Sirius looked at me expectantly. I knew that face, it's the one that he gets whenever he is being stubborn and won't relent until he gets what he wants. "Harry...Harry is...I guess you could call him my ex." I relented.<br>"OH!" Sirius exclaimed suddenly. "Now I remember why I recognize his name! But, oh..." Sirius trailed off, remembering what had transpired the first year I had come to Hogwarts.  
>Harry and I had been best friends since the first day I had come to Hogwarts. He was kind, funny, and to be honest, a total nerd. Then out of the blue, he had asked me to the Fall Ball. After that, we acted like a couple, and everything was fine for about two years. But then he fell in love with a different girl and we had an argument. He told me he never wanted to see or talk to me again. That would be the end of it, except he has been reaching out to me in small ways in the past two years, even inviting me to come to a game that he and the rest of our mutual friends were going to. "And now he is moving in right next to me," I explained to Sirius.<br>"I remember being furious with him for asking you to the dance before I could," Sirius admitted.  
>"Wait, really?" I did a double take.<br>Sirius laughed, "Yeah, no joke. Harry and James were friends, but he never wanted to be a marauder. He was more interested in his astrology studies than he was with...our experiments."  
>"You mean your animagi?" I raised an eyebrow.<br>"What?! How do you know about that?" Sirius stopped and turned to me.  
>"Oh please, you boys really thought that you were the only ones breaking the rules? Lily and I found out long ago. We even went through the process ourselves." I admitted.<br>"Wait, you two are animagi? What do you turn into?" Sirius looked incredulous.  
>"Well, Lils turns into a doe of course, and I..." I demonstrated my own transformation into a white wolf for him, clothing and all.<p>

Sirius just looked at me, and shook his head. "You two are just full of surprises," he laughed.  
>"I uh...also know about Remus as well," I admitted. "Lily told me after our little trip to Diagon Alley."<br>"You aren't scared?"  
>"Why would I be scared? He's harmless as a human, and if he ever transforms around me, I can run faster than any werewolf in my animagus. Besides, I trust you and James (more or less) and I know you would never put me in harm's way."<br>"Well, I am honored," Sirius smiled. "So what do you plan on doing about Harry?"  
>"I don't know. Be cordial, treat him like an acquaintance. If he wants to be friends again, I'm fine with that, but I'm not going to be the one to make that move," I said stubbornly.<br>"You know I've gotta ask. Do you still like him?" Sirius looked at me with concern.  
>I smiled and continued walking. His face became more and more worried as we walked, and finally I started laughing. "What's this? Sirius Black afraid of a little competition. I never thought I'd see the day. Haha, don't worry, Love. You've got nothing to be afraid of."<br>"Well, he should be careful. I'm a very protective boyfriend you know, and I'm stronger than he is, too," Sirius replied.  
>"Oh you are, are you?" I laughed and pushed him playfully in the side. We reached the village and went off to find my favorite store.<p> 


	13. Introductions and Interrogations

**Kiki's POV**

The day of my friends' arrival came quickly. I was becoming extremely excited, because Jules, Mariam, and Caroline had been my best friends, second only to Lily. I hadn't seen them since graduation, so I missed them terribly.

I was waiting by the fire place (Jamie absolutely _refuses_ to apparate. Says it messes up his hair) when all of a sudden, I heard Sirius's voice in my ear.

"Getting a little anxious, are we?"

I jumped and nearly punched him in the face, "SIRIUS! Don't sneak up on me like that! I almost hexed you!" I complained.

Sirius was too busy laughing to pay any attention. I playfully pushed him, and he retaliated by tickling me.

A voice from the fire place said, "Oy! No one is allowed to tickle Kiki but me!"

We turned and saw Caroline standing there with both hands on her hips and a raised eyebrow. Behind her came Jules, then Mariam, followed by Aiden, Jamie, and finally Harry.

"Ki!" Jules nearly tackled me with a hug. Mariam came next, and Caroline as well. The boys hung back, deciding they were "too cool" for this touchy feely stuff. Well, all except Aiden. He hugged me and spun me around. (Aiden is the closest thing I've ever had to a brother)

"Oh, I almost forgot. Guys, you remember Sirius, right?"

"I'm her boyfriend," He added, eyeing Aiden with suspicion. Aiden just smiled and put his arm around Mariam. Seeing this, Sirius relaxed a bit.

"Wait, boyfriend? Kiki! You know the drill!" Jules turned to me looking frustrated for me.

"Here we go," Caroline and I said together as Jules grabbed Sirius by the arm, sat him in a chair, and started her interrogation.

"Full name and place of residence." said Jules, sitting down and pulling out a notepad.

"What?" Sirius looked confused.

"You heard me!"

"Uh, Sirius Black the third, the Potter's house."

"Why do you want to be Kiki's boyfriend?"

"Because I like her?" Sirius had no clue what this was all about.

"Are you asking me?" Jules asked in an ominous tone.

"No, I like her." Sirius replied quickly.

"Hmm," Jules looked at him sternly. Then she started rapidly firing questions at him.

"Favorite color?"

"Blue."

"Favorite food?"

"Chocolate."

"Favorite band?"

"The Weird Sisters."

"Mode of transportation?"

"Flying motorcycle."

"Fav...wait, what?" Jules stopped and raised her eyebrow.

"Motorcycle, want to see?" Sirius asked eagerly.

Jules hesitated, reluctant to refuse, but then she replied, "Not now. We have to finish. Only one thing left anyway."

"Ok, shoot," Sirius replied, looking confident now that he had passed the first part of this apparent interrogation.

Jules was silent for a minute as she put down her notes and stood up. She folded her arms and stared at Sirius with piercing eyes. "Kiki is one of my best friends. You break her heart, I break your face. Clear?"

Sirius tried to act nonchalant, but it was clear he was intimidated. "Crystal," he replied.

"Good," Jules said, then she walked to the kitchen looking for food.

Caroline sighed in relief. "Well, he did loads better than Mene. I remember that pompous git pissed her off so bad it was all I could do to hold her back. I'm pretty sure she is the reason he ended up with a pig nose for an entire month after you two broke up."

Sirius was completely bewildered. Aiden and Jamie, both grinning from ear to ear, pulled him over and started explaining Jules' antics to him. It was at this time that I noticed Harry hadn't moved since he entered the room. I nervously gave him a half wave, and he walked over to me.

"So, Sirius, huh?" He awkwardly attempted to start the conversation.

"Uh, yeah. Since about two months after graduation." Ok, this was just weird.

"Well, I'm happy for you. How've you been? I haven't really talked to you since..." He rubbed the back of his head, not wanting to finish that sentence.

"Fine. Getting used to my new home." Thank God, Caroline came over and saved us from our misery.

"Harry, lets go meet James and Lily. They promised to help with our stuff," I silently mouthed the words _thank you_ to her as they walked away. She smiled at me and rolled her eyes.

Sirius walked over to me and put his arm around me. Together with Mariam, Jules, Aiden, and Jamie we walked downstairs to meet James and Lily with the moving service.

Then entire day was completely devoted to unpacking (with magic of course) Jamie and Harry were roommates in one apartment, Jules and Caroline in another, and finally Aiden and Mariam. At the end of the day, we all went down to James and Lily's apartment for dinner.

We sat eating and laughing for about an hour when all of a sudden, fueled by a little firewhisky, James stood up to make a toast. "To all of the pranks in our future, my dear boys, and to the entire gang being together in the same neighborhood. I'd like to see the Death Eaters even _TRY_ to attack us now."

The entire group clapped, and just then Lily brought out her famous apple pie. The boys all started fighting over the first piece, and the girls silently slipped away to talk.

"So, Kiki, it seems you have been holding out on us. When did Sirius FINALLY make a move?" Mariam asked as soon as we were out of earshot.

"Well, he asked me after we had dinner at this restaurant."

"_What_ restaurant?" Jules interjected.

"_Bachette Entertwined_."

"_WHAT?!" _all three of them shouted together. James' head poked through the doors.

"Everything all right in here? No Death Eaters for me to hex?"

"No, hon. Just girl talk," Lily said. James made a face and disappeared.

"How?" Mariam asked, her eyes wide.

"He knows a guy," I smiled. It was so nice to talk like this again.

We talked for the next thirty minutes about the different things we had all been doing, until Aiden walked in and announced that he and Mariam had to leave. We all decided to walk home together, and we said goodnight to James and Lily. Later, at home, I found a note left there by Sirius.

_Dear Kiki,_

_Meet me tomorrow by the old church. I have a surprise for you._

_Love, Sirius._


	14. Harry's Secret

Harry's POV  
>I sat at the table with Jamie after the party. We both had a glass of firewhiskey and we were discussing the day's events.<br>"So, Sirius, huh?" Jamie said, looking at me. "Looks like they finally got together."  
>"Yep," I took a swig of my drink. "She could do a lot worse."<br>Jamie was silent for a second. "Do you think you're ever going to tell her?"  
>"Why should I? It was so long ago."<br>"Well, yeah. But it might fix things a little between you two. I know you still want to be friends," Jamie looked at me expectantly.  
>"So? I don't want to talk, alright?"<br>Suddenly, Caroline stuck her head in the door.  
>"Are you two talking about it again?" she rolled her eyes and sat down next to me.<br>"Where's Jules?" Jamie asked.  
>"Taking a shower. Has he reached a verdict yet?"<br>"Nope."  
>Caroline sighed, "Why must you always evaluate every little detail about these things, Harry? Even when we were kids you never followed your heart," Oh yeah, I should probably tell you. Caroline is my cousin. "Why are you so against telling her the truth?" she added softly.<br>"She is happy. She has a boyfriend, a place of her own, she doesn't need that kind of stress," I got up and faced the wall.  
>"She misses her friend, the only one she really talked to about her parents," Caroline gently reminded me.<br>I guess I have held out on you long enough. The truth about what happened all those years ago is this: before Kiki came to Hogwarts, I was dating the most wonderful girl I had ever met, named Mary. She was smart, funny, sarcastic, and completely perfect. I was in love with her. But my world fell apart when she was taken from me. Killed by the Death Eaters for being muggle-born. For a year I barely spoke to anyone, and every day I remembered what I lost. Then, Kiki came. When I first saw her, I nearly fainted. She looked exactly like my Mary. We dated, and she turned out to be a wonderful friend, but I knew that I didn't like her. I only liked what she reminded me of. I couldn't stand leading her on, so we broke up. We had the argument, and I wish I could take back everything I said.  
>"I'll think about it," I finished my drink and left the two of them talking.<p> 


	15. Arguements from the Past

Kiki's POV  
>The next morning, I was walking to meet Sirius. I was wondering about what his surprise might be. He seemed a little put out by Harry yesterday, I don't think he believed me when I said he had nothing to worry about. Harry, harry. As I walked I began remembering the time I had spent with him. When I first met him, he could never remember my name and would always call me Mary. Later, after we started "dating" I confided in him things I had never told anyone else before: my nightmares about my parents, how much I missed them, how lost I was without them. And each and every time he would pull me into a hug and tell me everything was going to be all right. I remembered the quidditch games, and cheering for our friends at the top of our lungs, then falling over laughing when he tickled me.<br>And I remember that night.  
>"Ki, there's something I need to tell you," he had said, we were sitting by the lake under our favorite tree.<br>"What?" I asked.  
>"You're an amazing friend, and an awesome girl, but..."<br>I knew right at that moment that it was over. He started saying the usual. "It's not you, it's me" "We can still be friends."  
>Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. "Why?" I asked.<br>"Just...stuff."  
>"Is there something I should know about?" I asked.<br>"Is there something that you feel the need to know?" he replied sharply.  
>"Well, this isn't like you. You haven't been acting like yourself."<br>"And you know what I act like?" he started getting defensive.  
>"Well, yeah. We've been friends for almost three years now." I was getting irritated. "What the heck is going on?"<br>"Why do you need to know?" he replied angrily.  
>"Because then maybe we can fix whatever is the problem." I was desperately trying to save our friendship.<br>"There is nothing worth fixing!" he suddenly burst, "You can't fix it! No one can!"  
>"Nothing?! Is that really what the last three years was worth?" I said, furious. "Why won't you just put your pride aside for a moment and tell me what the heck is going on?"<br>"You are supposed to use the working half of your brain. Realize that it is worthless."  
>"Well I guess it's nice to know that I wasted the last three years of my life. I guess you just don't care." I was ready to just get up and leave.<br>"You have no clue what you are talking about. Never say another word to me, Jules, Caroline, or Jamie ever again. Annoy anyone else that you want, but I will not take anymore."  
>Those words broke any spirit I had left. I got up and walked away, hiding the tears rolling down my eyes.<br>Now, I found myself crying as I walked to the gate of the church. I wiped away the tears and started looking around for Sirius. All of a sudden I heard someone scream, "KIKI!" and a sharp pain on the back of my head. Then, everything went black.


	16. Chaos at the Church

Harry's POV  
>I woke up in the morning and finally came to a decision. My friendship was more important than my pride. I immediately put on some clothing and went over to Kiki's apartment. I knocked on the door and found it open. I walked in and called her name. No reply. That's when I noticed the note sitting on her calendar.<br>_Dear Kiki,_  
><em>Meet me tomorrow by the old church. I have a surprise for you.<em>  
><em>Love, Sirius.<em>  
>I looked at my watch. It was relatively early, so I figured I should try and catch her before she met up with Sirius. I knew that if I gave up now, I'd never find the resolve to tell her.<br>I ran out the door and headed for the church.  
>I thought about what I planned to tell her. First I would apologize for the things I had said. I would explain how much I wanted to take them back, and how stupid they were. Then I would tell her about Mary. Everything. I would reveal to her the real reason why I couldn't stay with her, and that I never wanted to hurt her. All that mushy stuff.<br>I was nearing the church, so I slowed down and looked around me. The streets were eerily empty. But then again, it was early in the morning on a Saturday. I would be sleeping in too.  
>I rounded the corner and the old church came into view. I saw Kiki standing with her back to me by the gate, looking around. Suddenly, five cloaked figures appeared behind her. They were all wearing masks except for one. Lucius Malfoy. Realizing that she was in danger, I started sprinting toward them. Ten feet away, I screamed, "KIKI!" just as one of the Death Eaters hit her over the head and she crumpled to the ground. Lucius saw me approaching, and I hit him with a curse. Too late I realized another Death Eater had come up behind me, and as I turned he hit me over the head. As I fell to the ground, I felt myself start to go unconscious. As the world started to fade, I heard a far off voice say, "Better bring him too."<p> 


	17. Back to School

Sirius's POV  
>I woke up with a jolt. Immediately I knew there was something wrong. I quickly dressed and went over to James and Lily's apartment.<br>"Hey Sirius, what's up?" Lily asked as I walked in.  
>"Have you seen Kiki? I'm worried," I asked hurriedly.<br>"No, why?" Lily asked.  
>"I don't know, I just feel it."<br>"Well have you checked her apartment?" Lily asked calmly.  
>"No, I was on my way over there." I was slightly annoyed.<br>"Ok, let's go," Lily said, grabbing her coat. James entered the room and I explained the situation.  
>All three of us quickly walked to the apartment building. As we reached her floor, Caroline appeared at her door.<br>"Have you two seen Harry? He's been gone for over an hour with no note."  
>"No, we were coming to check on Kiki."<br>"Come to think of it, I haven't seen her all morning."  
>We walked into Ki's apartment. I went over and knocked on her bedroom door. "Ki? Ki, are you here?"<br>Behind me, Lily suddenly called out, "Hey, I think I found something!"  
>We walked over to where she was standing and found a note, with my name signed at the bottom.<br>"I didn't write that," I said, my worry increasing tenfold.  
>"Church. Now," Caroline said.<br>Joined now by Jules, Mariam, Aiden, and Jamie, we apparated to the Church. Just as we appeared, we saw a dark figure dissapparate. But just as he started turning, he dropped something. I ran over and picked it up. I filled with dread when I realized that the Death Eater...had dropped Kiki's ring she always wears. The one I gave her.  
>I silently handed it to James, and he whispered, "Oh god."<br>"What is it? What does it mean?" Jules asked.  
>"It means the Death Eaters have Kiki and Harry," Lily's eyes filled with tears.<br>I stared at the ring, and I suddenly filled with rage. I realized that the Death Eaters had made a big mistake. They had kidnapped MY girlfriend, and now there was NOTHING stopping me from hunting them down and making their lives a living hell.  
>"Come on," I said, putting out my hand. Everyone put their hands on top of mine, and I apparated to the Potter's fireplace. Taking some floo powder, I stood in the fireplace and threw it down, saying "Dumbledore's office!" Green flames surrounded me and after a few moments of dizzying spinning, I stepped out into the well-known headmaster's office. I had been here many times because of one prank or another. Dumbledore looked up from his desk as the rest of my friends filed in behind me.<br>"Sirius, what a happy surprise," He said calmly. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"  
>"Kiki has been kidnapped," I said, skipping the small talk.<br>"And Harry," Jules added behind me.  
>"I see," said Dumbledore, his face instantly turning grim. "Do the Aurors know?"<br>"No, I came straight to you."  
>Dumbledore got up, walked over to one of the portraits, and said, "Rory, would you please inform the ministry of this, and tell them it is of the utmost importance that Ms. Thomas is found at once."<br>"Of course, Dumbledore," said the white-haired old wizard, looking troubled. He turned around and walked through a blue door right behind him.  
>"So that's it? Just leave it to the Aurors? Kiki could be dead before they found her!" I yelled.<br>"I know you are worried about your girlfriend, but it is always best to spread the word as quickly as possible. Of course I don't intend to sit back, Ms. Thomas is in great danger. Now, we can't just rush off without knowing what we are up against. Tell me everything you know."  
>We sat down and Lily started explaining everything we had discovered that morning. I didn't pay much attention. All I could think about was how the one thing I cared about in my life was out of my reach, and out of my protection.<p> 


	18. Friends or Foes?

Kiki's POV  
>I woke up to complete darkness. I was laying against something warm, and I heard breathing. It was then that I noticed my wand was missing.<br>"Bloody hell," I mumbled.  
>Just then, I heard a moan and realized that the "warm thing" was a person.<br>I quickly sat up and moved away. Suddenly, a voice whispered, "Ki?"  
><em>Oh great.<em> I thought, because that voice belonged to Harry.  
>"Hey. What happened?" I asked.<br>"Not sure. The last thing I remember is Death Eaters hitting you over the head," He replied. "The rest is a bit fuzzy." He paused for a second, and then said, "Oh, wait! I've got a pocket torch! Give me a second." He rummaged around in his pocket and after a few moments, a small light appeared. We were in a cold window-less room, probably a dungeon. I saw a small lantern on a table, so I quickly lit it. I turned and looked at Harry. He had a black eye and a swollen bump on his head.  
>"Why are you here?"<br>His face turned red, and he turned away for a second. "I was coming to talk to you when the Death Eaters attacked. I tried to fend them off, but they knocked me unconscious."  
>"Oh. Any clue where we are?"<br>"Lucius Malfoy's, I suspect. I saw him with the Death Eaters," Harry mused.  
>"Why did they kidnap me anyways? It's not like I'm a muggleborn."<br>"Not a clue, did you...do anything?" He asked tentatively.  
>"Not that I know of." I leaned against the wall and shivered. "God, Malfoy could use a few heaters down here."<br>"Here," Harry moved next to me and wrapped his coat around me. I figured it was no use refusing it, I was only wearing the dress that I went to the church in. For a second, Harry's arm rested around my shoulders, and I was painfully reminded of our fifth year. Then he let go, and we sat in silence.  
>After about ten minutes, I turned to Harry and asked, "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"<br>He sighed and looked at me. "Just some things I thought you should know."  
>"Well, go ahead. I promise I'm not going anywhere," I joked. He laughed and for a moment the tension disappeared.<br>"It's not exactly the right setting. Don't you think we should concentrate on finding a way out?" he admitted. I just looked at him stubbornly, and after a moment he took a deep breath. Then he said, "Back before you came to Hogwarts, there was this girl named Mary. She was a Gryffindor."  
>"Yes?" I prompted. I was pretty sure I knew where this was heading.<br>"She...she was my...girlfriend," he mumbled.  
>"Mmmhmmm," I said quietly.<br>"You would have loved her. She was smart, sarcastic, funny, and incredibly stubborn." His eyes glazed over as he remembered. "Even James couldn't outlast her."  
>"What happened to her?" I asked.<br>His eyes filled with sadness, and I could almost swear I saw a tear. "Her sister was captured by the Death Eaters. No one had a clue where they were keeping her, and the Aurors had given up. I tried to stop her, but one night she went after them. She never did listen." He paused, and I could tell he was struggling with his next words. "She found them...and she managed to overcome about ten of them...but she was only a fourth year, and she was muggle-born. They captured her...and they...they..." He started choking up, and he couldn't finish. He buried his face in his hands, and I found myself putting my arm around his shoulders. After a few minutes, he straightened up, and his eyes were red. "I didn't talk to anyone for about six months after the funeral. Then the fifth year came, and I met you. And you don't know it, but you could have been her twin. And then we went to the dance, and we started getting closer, and then...but after a while I realized that it wasn't you I was falling for. It was the illusion of Mary."  
>"So you decided to break up with me," I said quietly. Not looking at him, I asked, "There was never another girl?"<br>"No. Never anyone else." He confirmed.  
>"Why didn't you just tell me? I spent the last four years thinking that maybe I had done something, or that you never cared. If I had known, I would never have said those awful things." I was standing now, trying to process this new information.<br>"I don't know. I was angry. I think I didn't want to admit to myself that what you said was true. Honestly, I've been regretting that argument ever since."  
>I sighed and finally admitted, "Same here."<br>"Friends?" Harry asked hopefully.  
>"Friends." I agreed. "Except none of this 'distant' crud. If we're going to be friends, you need to beat Aiden and James. Trust me, they're tough competition." I teased.<br>He laughed, "I think I can take them."  
>Our jokes were cut short and we were brought out of our little reverie by a sudden clang. On the opposite side of the room, a door appeared and in walked two cloaked figures. They were heading straight for me, when suddenly Harry jumped in front of me.<br>"Don't you touch her," he growled.  
>I tried to pull him away, but before I could one of the Death Eaters pulled out his wand and shouted, "CRUCIO!"<br>The spell hit Harry in the chest and he fell to the ground yelling in pain. I screamed and ran at the Death Eater, but his companion grabbed me before I could land a punch. Fortunately, that distracted them, and Harry's screaming stopped. Unfortunately, I was now being dragged out of the room and up the steps, Harry yelling and pounding on the door behind me.


	19. Grave Danger

Aiden's POV  
>Sirius was pacing around the room. We had been in Dumbledore's office for about and hour, and so far all we had learned was that Kiki and Harry were nowhere to be found. Dumbledore was currently at the ministry arguing with the minister. All of a sudden, green fire sprang to life in the fireplace. Dumbledore came spinning into the room, his hat askew.<br>"Whats happening?" Sirius asked urgently.  
>"The minister is doing the best he can," Dumbledore said gravely. "Unfortunately, that may not be good enough."<br>"Then let us go after them!" Mariam jumped up. She and Caroline had been going over everything they knew about Kiki, trying to figure out why the Death Eaters wanted her.  
>"No. You don't know about the situation," Dumbledore replied.<br>"Then TELL US!" Caroline practically yelled.  
>Dumbledore sighed, and sat down.<br>Suddenly, Jules gasped. "Oh no. Oh God no. Dumbledore, it isn't..."  
>"I'm afraid it is, my dear," Dumbledore looked at Jules with interest.<br>"What isn't? Whats happening?" Lily and James walked into the room. "Have they been found yet?"  
>"No," Jamie walked over. "We're still in the dark, although it appears Jules has something to share."<br>Everyone looked over at Jules. She sighed and slumped into a chair. "I was never supposed to have found out. It was an accident." After a moment, she continued. "Kiki...Kiki had a twin sister. She doesn't know, they were separated at birth. Their parents found out that the twins contained extraordinary power, power that could destroy the Dark Lord. However, whenever they were together they became too easy to find. So Mr. and Mrs. Thomas kept Kiki and sent her to Hansford. But her twin was sent...to England."  
>Jamie groaned, "Mary."<br>"Yes. I'm afraid so. The Death Eaters kidnapped Mary's foster sister to lure her out of our protection. How they found out Mary's true identity, I have no idea. Even Mary didn't know about her true pure-blood lineage. She was captured, and when the Death Eaters couldn't turn her to their will, she was killed," Dumbledore revealed.  
>"How did you find out, Jules?" I asked.<br>"Well, I was on my way to Dumbledore's office to ask for harder classes, when I overheard him talking to Mary's parents. I wouldn't have eavesdropped, but they were talking about Mary being in danger. Afterwards, when Ki came, I put two and two together. Dumbledore caught me and swore me to secrecy."  
>Dumbledore looked at all of our shocked faces. Sirius walked over to his desk, slammed both hands down, and stared him in the eye.<br>"If you won't help us, I'm just going to find her by myself."  
>Dumbledore held his gaze for a minute, sighed, got up, and handed Sirius a little metal device. "Mr. Black, I need you to think about Kiki. Think about everything that reminds you of her. When you have done this, push the lever."<br>Sirius looked at Dumbledore skeptically, but then did as he was told. As soon as he clicked it, all of the lights in the room went out, except for a single ball of light which hovered right in front of Sirius.  
>"Everyone hold on to Sirius. Sirius, when that light enters you, disapparate," Dumbledore said, placing one hand on Sirius's shoulder and the other on mine. We all did the same, and suddenly the little ball of light went right through Sirius. His eyes went wide, and he gasped.<br>"Now, Sirius!" Dumbledore shouted. Sirius turned, and we were all sucked into suffocating darkness.

I gasped as we landed inside the courtyard of a large black mansion. As soon as we landed, we heard a shout, and a black figure pulled up the sleeve on his left arm. Before he could touch the dark mark burned in his forearm, Dumbledore hit him with a spell. He froze, and Dumbledore quickly disarmed him. Then, he strode up to the front door and threw it open. We all hurried in after him as Death Eaters poured into the hallway. There was a brief fight, in which I took out three Death Eaters and Dumbledore stopped about twenty. The rest retreated into a giant dining room and sealed the door.  
>"Come, quickly! I'm afraid Ms. Thomas doesn't have much time," Dumbledore called as he suddenly disappeared through a wall.<p> 


	20. Rescued from Cowards

**Harry's POV**  
>My head was throbbing. I had been punched, knocked out, and tortured in less than four hours. I was currently frantically searching the dungeon for anything that would help. Upon examining the walls where the door had appeared, I discovered no crevasse, no hinge, nothing that would indicate a door.<br>"Great. Magic," I groaned.  
>I heard a scream from upstairs, and I knew they had started. Filled with rage, I pounded on the door. Of course, nothing happened. The wires in my torch were useless, there was no lock to pick. I sat and devised a hundred different things I could try, but none of them would do anything for me. I was powerless.<br>Suddenly, I heard a commotion from upstairs. At first I thought it was Kiki struggling against her captors and I hoped that she had managed to find a wand. However, all hope disappeared as I heard multiple pairs of footsteps on the stairs. Convinced that my captors had returned for me, I decided I wouldn't go without a fight. I picked up the lantern and prepared to chuck it at the first Death Eater that appeared.  
>The door clanged open, and I started to throw my weapon, when a familiar long white beard appeared. Surprised, I let go of the lantern and it broke against the wall. For a moment, pitch darkness filled the room as the fire went out, but then Dumbledore lit his wand.<br>"Mr. Joseph, I would refrain from assaulting your rescuers in the future. Might cause some unwanted conflict," Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling.  
>"HARRY!" Caroline yelled as she entered the room. She ran at me and hugged me.<br>Sirius came in next, but instead of looking relieved to find me, his face was worried. "Where's Kiki?!" He asked frantically.  
>"Come with me," I said as I ran past my friends and up the stairs.<br>As I reached the top, another piercing scream filled the manor.  
>"Why haven't they disapparated?"<br>"Mr. Black doesn't give the Aurors enough credit. They have enchanted Malfoy Manor so none can disapparate," Dumbledore explained as he concentrated on the dining room entrance. "Ah, here we are," he said as he touched a point on the door with his wand. All at once there was a sharp crack, and the door shattered to pieces. We ran inside and found about eight Death Eaters huddled in a group with Lucius Malfoy in the front. He was holding a limp Kiki by the collar, his wand pointed at her heart.  
>"Why shouldn't I just kill her now, Dumbledore?" he challenged.<br>"That would be unwise, as I am sure Mr. Black will retaliate in kind," Dumbledore replied calmly.  
>Malfoy knew this, of course, but he seemed to be stalling. I knew he was up to something, but what?<br>Suddenly, he threw Ki forward and severed the chandelier with a spell. I had the quickest reflexes of us all, and I stopped it from falling on Kiki, but it was too late. Malfoy and most of the Death Eaters had already disappeared through a secret tunnel. Aiden tried to run after them, but the wall had already closed.  
>"It's no use, Mr. Pond. They're long gone," Dumbledore said.<br>Sirius ran to Kiki. She groaned, and her eyes fluttered open.  
>"Dumbledore!" he called.<br>Dumbledore knelt by Kiki's head and started muttering under his breath, pointing his wand at her. Her eyes closed again, and her face slowly relaxed.  
>"Well, good news! I predict a full recovery," Dumbledore reported. "Just make sure she stays in bed for the next week or so, and Ms. Thomas will be good as new in no time. Goodbye." He said, and he disapparated. Sirius gently picked up Kiki, and we all went back to her apartment.<p> 


	21. No Place Like Home

**Kiki's POV**

I woke up screaming in a dark room. I had no clue where I was or what was tangling my legs, and I was terrified. Suddenly, the door flew open and Sirius ran inside.

"Kiki, it's all right, you're safe," he consoled me as he sat down and wrapped me in his arms. I was trembling and I felt a tear fall down my face. I noticed that what I was tangled in was the sheets on my bed. MY bed. I was home.

"How?" I asked weakly.

"Dumbledore," Sirius replied.

"And Harry?"

"Safe. He actually was the one who saved you from being crushed by the chandelier," Sirius said.

"Good. What time is it?" I asked.

"Six in the morning."

"Oh. I want to go see Lily. Can you grab my coat for me?" I asked as I swung my legs off the bed. All of a sudden, a wave of nausea overcame me.

"Oh no you don't. You need to stay right here. Dumbledore's orders," Sirius said sternly. Then he smiled, "Besides, everyone is here already. James and Lily have been living with Mariam and Aiden in order to stay close by."

"Living? As in for several days? How long have I been out?!"

"About two and a half days. We've been worried sick!" Sirius informed me.

I moaned and slumped back on my pillows. After making me swear up and down that I wasn't going anywhere, Sirius left the room. About five minutes later, everyone rushed into my room and started hugging me and asking me how I was feeling. All except Harry. He came last, with a bandage around his head, leaning heavily on a cane. He stood in the doorway and waved at me. I gestured for him to come over.

"Hey, don't just stand there! You're supposed to be excited about me waking up!" I teased. He laughed and walked over to us. I gave him a one-armed hug, then he sat next to Caroline. "Uh, guys? I love how you're all here, but my room isn't really big enough for ten people. Can we PLEASE move to the living room?" I joked.

Sirius looked reluctant to move me, but he obliged by half carrying me to the couch in the next room over.

We talked about what had transpired after my "daring and heroic," as Aiden put it, rescue. Apparently, Sirius had hardly left my side, and he had slept on my couch for the past two nights. Harry had a minor concussion, a black eye, and some light bruising on his ribs, but he was recovering just fine. Finally, I asked the question that had been weighing on my mind for the past hour.

"Why me? The Death Eaters kept on acting like I had some great secret that they were trying to force me to tell, but I have never done anything or been told anything that would prove useful to the Death Eaters,"

They all stayed quiet, and no one seemed to want to answer. Finally, Jules sat down next to me and gently told me everything. I was stunned.

"A...a sister? I had a sister? and Mary? But..." I looked at Harry, and he sadly nodded. "Why didn't anyone ever tell me?"

"Because I know you. You would have either been crushed by the news that another family member of yours had been taken from you, or you would have done exactly what she did and go searching for revenge. Also, Mary..." Jules trailed off as everyone turned to Harry. He was staring at the sun rising outside my window. There were tear tracks on his cheeks.

"But I'm not powerful! I can't even beat James at hex wars!" I complained.

"Well, yeah, but that's because it's me," James joked.

"I don't know, Ki. You handled those Death Eaters at the store pretty well," Lily pointed out.

Before I could retaliate, Sirius interjected. "Nonetheless, Ki. You aren't safe on your own. I want you to move in with Caroline and Jules. They already agreed, and we all think it's for the best."

"No." I said stubbornly.

"This isn't a negotiation. You need to move," Harry piped in.

"I'm not going to live in fear for my entire life because of the Death Eaters!" I exclaimed.

"Ki, you can't stay on your own. It's not safe!" Sirius implored me.

"Then why don't you just move in here?" I suddenly asked.

That left him speechless, and he was totally shocked. "Do you want me to?" He finally asked.

I rolled my eyes. "No, Sirius. I was just making polite conversation." I playfully pushed him, "Of course I'm serious, idiot!" I teased.

He smiled, "Well then. I guess I'm moving in."

The entire group exchanged glances as if to say, "Finally!"

I smiled, and started to laugh, but then a fresh wave of headache hit me and I groaned. Sirius took one look at me and frowned. He then picked me up without a warning and carried me back to my bed.

"Sleep." He ordered.

"Whatever," I replied with a smile. Seconds later I was passed out, and I dreamed about a girl who looked just like me, laughing as she watched Harry chase me across the grounds of Hogwarts after I had stolen his hat.


	22. Quidditch Conversations

**Caroline's POV**

Three months passed since Kiki had been kidnapped. Not much has happened besides Sirius moving in and Harry and Kiki's renewed friendship. I was so relieved that Harry _FINALLY_ decided to come clean about Mary. I remembered how close Kiki and he and been in our fifth year, and how after the arguement all of their spirit seemed to dissappear. Now, it was almost like none of that ever happened. They joked and teased each other no-end, acting just like a brother and sister.

Early one February morning, I was walking through Diagon Alley on my way to the Apothecary. I was busy scanning my list of ingredients, so I didn't notice the boy walking out of Flourish and Blotts until we collided. His books went flying, and we both ended up sprawled on the ground.

"Oh geez, I'm so sorry!" I muttered as I scrambled to help him pick up his books. I looked over at him and froze. Before me stood my crush of four years. He was a Gryffindor in my year at Hogwarts.

"No problem. It's Caroline, isn't it?" Matt Williams asked as he picked up his last book.

I nodded, unable to speak.

"I'm Matt, we went to school together, but you probably don't remember me," he blushed. He _blushed_!

I finally found my voice and managed to stutter, "Kind of hard to forget Gryffindor's best Chaser."

He smiled shyly, "I wouldn't say best chaser."

Gaining confidence, I replied, "Oh, come on! Didn't you get asked to join, like, four major professional teams after graduation?"

"Three, actually," He rubbed the back of his head.

"The point still stands. Which team did you finally decide on?" I asked.

We started talking about quidditch and his new team, the Montrose Magpies. Before I knew it, we decided to grab a bite to eat together and he was asking me if I had plans for Friday. I could barely believe what I was hearing, but we made plans to go to the Puddlemore United vs the Chudley Cannons game together. We said goodbye, and I spent the next ten minutes trying to remember why I was here in the first place. You see, I've never had a boyfriend before. It's not that I never had the opportunity, I had been asked out before, but I just wasn't interested in those guys and I had my studies to focus on.

After grabbing my ingredients, I went home and started organizing my potions cubbard. I was just finishing organizing my various bottles of half-used potions when Jules walked through the door. She took one look at me, and her eyebrow shot up.

"Something big must have gone down on your trip," she stated as she flopped down on the couch and started flipping through the channels on TV.

"What? Why do you think that?" I asked, genuinely surprised at her perceptiveness.

"Oh please, you didn't come home when you were supposed to, so I had to go to lunch with James and Lily without you. Also, you are absolutely glowing with happiness."

I laughed and admitted that she was right. I told her about my clumsy surprise, and she squealed and called Kiki and Mariam over from their apartments. They all started freaking out and planning my outfit, hair, and makeup for Friday. I just laughed and stayed out of it. It's better just to humor them at times like this.

Harry wandered in and asked what was going on. He laughed when he heard what had happened, and flopped down on the couch in between Jules and Ki.

"I just hope that Jonathan Ramos never finds out. The poor guy would be crushed!" He teased. Jonathan had asked me out about a year ago, but I turned him down. I wasn't attracted to him, but he was a great friend and a really sweet guy. I stuck my tongue out at Harry, and he stuck his out at me while crossing his eyes. We all laughed, and went on talking for about twenty minutes.


	23. Pond Aiden Pond

**Aiden's POV**

I was sitting on the couch at home, playing computer games. Mariam was off with the girls shopping for God knows what, so I had nothing to do. I was getting really close to beating Harry's high score in Ender Lives.

You are approaching the Castle of Portkey Ridge. What shall you do?

-Knock on the door

-Enter in secret

I tried to think back to last night when Harry had reached this exact spot and died. He had chosen...secret? I couldn't quite remember. I apprehensively chose "knock on the door."

You die.

-Play again?

Frustrated, I pushed my computer to the side and stomped into the kitchen. I was just grabbing a butterbeer from the fridge when I heard someone clear their throat from behind me. I turned and saw Dumbledore standing behind me.

"Hello, sir," I said without blinking.

"Mr. Pond. I'm afraid the council has requested your presence immediately."

"Took them long enough," I said as I hurriedly scribbled a note to Mariam. Back in a bit, off to run a few errands. Love you.

Then Dumbledore and I dissapparated.

I found myself in a meeting room with about ten chairs sitting around a long table. At the head sat the lead Auror, looking grave.

"Agent Pond, nice of you to join us," he greeted me.

"John," I replied with a nod of my head. He looked slightly irritated with my use of his first name, but he knew better than to try and stop me. "How's the wife?

"We are here to discuss the event of Kiki Thomas's kidnapping, not exchange pleasantries," squeaked a small witch from the corner.

"Yes, you're quite right, Priscilla. We are quite glad to know that Ms. Thomas is quite all right, but there are still loose ends to be tied up. We have no way of convicting Malfoy, he has half of the Wizengamot under his thumb! Also, we have no way of anticipating the Dark Lord's next move. The safety of Ms. Thomas cannot be ensured. Therefore we believe that Ms. Thomas should be taken to a safe house so she can be trained properly in combat," John folded his hands and waited for my reply.

I lounged in my chair and continued to calmly drink my butterbeer. After a minute, I cleared my throat. "First, you severely underestimate Kiki if you believe she is incapable of self defense. Secondly, if you had just followed my recommendation of planting Auror watches around Godric's Hollow, none of this would have happened. I'm good, but not good enough to know exactly where Ki is at every moment, nor can I take on ten of the best Death Eaters by myself. Finally, taking Ki away to a remote location would be playing into Voldemort's hand." At the mention of the name, half the room flinched. "Therefore, my _recommendation _would be to LISTEN TO MY FIRST RECCOMDATION." I slammed by bottle on the table.

"I would have to concur with Mr. Pond, although he lacks the social prowess to reasonably express himself. Ms. Thomas is a strong spirit, but taking her away from the people she cares about would just take away that spirit. Also, I have reason to believe that Mr. Black has decided that its his responsibility to keep Kiki out of trouble at all costs. It would take more than a forged note and few Death Eaters to fool them now," Dumbledore spoke up. He looked slightly amused at my antics, and he was fingering his deluminator as he talked.

John looked frustrated. "We don't have the manpower to provide a full time guard for the girl. Too many of us are up to our necks trying to prevent muggle attacks."

"Then I would suggest this. Provide Mr. Pond with three Aurors. Just three. Aiden will not fail in protecting Ms. Thomas, of this I am most certain," Dumbledore said. "I must say farewell. It appears that someone has upset the giant squid at my school, and my peers are having difficulties retrieving Ms. Tonks from the water." He shook his head and dissapparated.

"I'm leaving too, contact me when you make a decision," I said. I got up, nodded to John (who looked like his head was in danger of exploding) and dissapparated.


	24. A Date of Firsts

**Caroline's POV**

It was about two hours before Matt was supposed to pick me up, and Jules, Kiki, Mariam and I were sitting in my room. They seemed to have decided that it was their sworn duty to make sure that I looked right for my first date. Kiki was in charge of my hair, and was waiting for Mariam to finish my makeup, and Jules was standing in front of my closet frowning.

"Where are your skinny jeans?" she asked as she perused my drawers.

"I don't have any." I replied as Mariam dusted my face with cover-up.

"WHAT?!" Jules looked up sharply, then ran over to her own closet in the next room.

Mariam rolled her eyes and smirked. "There," she said as she finished applying what was, in my mind, unnecessary lip gloss. She spun me around so I could see myself in the mirror. I smiled, she had actually done a really nice job. I could see now that she had added a thin graceful line of eyeliner as well as dark mascara that showed off my long lashes. On my eyelids, she had dusted on some gold shadow brimming with pink on the sides. I had on some light blush, and clear pink lipgloss.

As soon as Kiki saw that Mariam was done, she ran over to do my hair. Mariam just continued smiling and walked into the next room with Jules. Kiki started gently brushing my hair, which she loves to do. This is just fine, because I love having my hair brushed.

While she worked, I heard Kiki and Jules debating over my outfit. "Jules, she is going to a quidditch game, not a ball!" I was slightly concerned about the implications of this, but I completely forgot when Kiki suddenly turned me so I could see my hair. My hair, which I normally just left down or pulled into a hasty pony tail, was now braided into a messy, but adorable bun.

I stood up and pulled her into a hug. "It's beautiful," I said as she wiped a strand of her own golden hair out of her eyes.

We walked into the next room where Jules and Mariam were arguing over my shoes. We all perused the closet, and it took us a while to agree on anything. In the end, we decided on skinny jeans, a green off-shoulder top, and green slip on shoes. I wasn't too crazy about it, but they didn't like my idea of a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.

All that was left was jewelry, which was supposed to be Lily's area. She was late, and Kiki was about to go find her when she suddenly ran into my apartment looking out of breath.

"Sorry I'm late, but I had to go grab this," she said, and I gasped as she pulled a beautiful gold necklace twisted in the shape of a heart with a pink sapphire hanging from the bottom.

"Oh Lils, I couldn't! I said as she fastened it around my neck.

"Nonsense! It goes with your outfit anyway," she said. Then, she finished by adding two small pink sapphire earrings and a charm bracelet to my ensemble.

Just as we were going over the details of my outfit, Matt knocked on the door frame of my apartment. Only then did we realize that Lily had left the door adjar.

"Wow," he said as I walked over to him, "You look amazing!"

"Haha, thanks. Shall we?" I asked, anxious to avoid the inevidable.

"Just a minute!" Jules blocked the door. I groaned, and she did her interrogation, and Kiki joined in on the intimidation. Then I led a thoroughly confused Matt out of the apartment.

"Sorry about that. Jules is a bit...protective, and Kiki is concerned for my safety," I explained when we were safely out the door.

He laughed, "No problem. It's sweet, and not a bad idea."

The plan was to grab dinner before the game, and we went to a nice spanish place called "Larevier." We started talking about shool, and I was shocked to find out this was his first date, too.

"What? But there were tons of girls that liked you!"

"Yeah, but they were all stuck up. I don't want any of that, no thank you. Thats...kinda why I wanted to go with you tonight," he smiled.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice go, "Oh, that's so sweet!" and four other voices shushing. Matt and I turned, and to my horror I saw four familiar faces peeking out from behind menus at the next table over. Matt started cracking up, and I facepalmed. The girls, not realizing they had been made, just continued to whisper from behind their menus.

After we finished, I casually walked over to their table and whispered, "I hate you all, I hope you realize that."

They were startled, but then they all broke into fits of giggles and Mariam choked out through her laughter, "Just...making...sure...you're...fine."

When we got to our seats, I discovered that they were in the VIP box.

"Hey, I guest-played with the Cannons. They love me," he said like it was no big deal.

We spent the game drinking butterbeer and yelling at the reff for being stupid. In the end, the Chudley Cannons lost 130 to 60. But while I was bummed about our defeat, I still was having the greatest time of my life.

After the game, he took me home, and we were standing outside of my apartment building when he said he'd like to see me again.

"I would love that," I replied softly.

We made plans for a second date, and then he said goodbye and started to walk away. I started to close the door, slightly disappointed that he left it at that, when all of a sudden he ran back and kissed me. How long it lasted, I couldn't tell, but I do know that it wasn't long enough. He looked into my eyes and gently whispered, "Goodnight," and then he was gone.


	25. Agent Cookie

**Mariam's POV**

Aiden FINALLY got back from whatever errand he was supposed to be running. It was late, and he looked tired.

"Wow, busy day?" I asked as I pulled some cookie dough from our fridge. He looks at me, and smiled. It was date night.

"Yeah, sorry. Old friend saw me and we started talking. Cookies?" he said as he walked up to me and gave me a peck on the lips.

"Of course," I said as he stood next to me. We worked in silence for a little while, content with eachother's presence. "Caroline got back from her date a little bit ago." I said as we finished the first tray and I slid them into the oven.

"Oh yeah? And how did that go?"

"Well, she isn't our little girl anymore. She had her first kiss!" I said.

I was surprised by Aiden suddenly whirling me around and kissing me. "Like this?" he asked.

I giggled, "Yeah."

"Well, it's about time. Do you know how many boys she turned down? I always ended up having to be the one who explained to them why. 'Caroline is just busy,' 'Caroline doesn't want anything right now,' my god, I swear I was the therapist of half the boys in Ravenclaw."

I slid in the second tray just in time to take out the first. I slid the cookies on to a cooling rack, and Aiden started to reach for one.

"Ow!" he whined as I slapped his hand away.

"You've got to wait for them to cool, stupid," I scolded as he pretended to cradle his hand. He stuck his tongue out at me, and I rolled my eyes.

Just then, Harry and Jamie walked in.

"Hey guys," said Jamie as he picked up a cookie. "Where have you been all day? Ow!" he asked Aiden, then dropped his cookie and rubbed his hand.

I gave Aiden an 'I was right' look, then went and got the milk.

"Busy. I had to run to Diagon Alley for some stuff. What are you guys doing here?"

"Bored," said Harry as he flipped through the tv channels.

I frowned at Aiden. So much for quality time. "Why don't you go hang out with Jules and Caroline?"

"Ugh, they're talking about girl stuff. Lame," Jamie said as he plopped down next to Harry.

"You two really need to get your own tv," Aiden laughed.

"No money for it," said Harry. "We spent it all on Pokemon cards.

Aiden just shrugged, and we went and sat next to eachother on the loveseat. Suddenly, we heard a soft 'tap tap' on the window. A large barn owl was sitting on our windowsill. Aiden jumped up and hurriedly untied a note from his leg.

"What's that?" I asked, curious as to why a ministry owl would be sending us a note.

"Just buisness stuff, love," he said as he walked into the next room.

I got up and walked after him. He was hurriedly writing a reply to send with the owl. As he wrote, a small badge fell out of his pocket. I bent down and picked it up. It read, "Auror Secret Service Agent # 314."

He turned around and his eyes grew wide. I handed it to him, and he just stared at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Um, nothing," he said, but it was more of a question.

"Oh, come off it. I already knew. You tend to accidentally leave it in your pocket when I wash your clothes."

"Uh, ok. But no one can know."

"Well duh. I'm not that stupid," I teased. He smiled and together we walked back into the living room. Harry and Jamie were buisy watching Doctor Who, which Aiden loves. I just rolled my eyes and left to go and visit with Jules and Caroline.


	26. Planning Pranks

Mariam's POV

I walked in to Jules and Caroline's apartment to find all the girls sitting and laughing on the ground.

"Jeez, guys. Way to make a girl feel included," I joked. I plopped down next to Kiki.

"Oh, we're sorry Marmar. I thought it was date night for you two," Jules said, looking upset.

"No worries, you were right. But Aiden is changing our date night into a date with Harry and Jamie, so I figured why not come hang with you. Caroline still has to give me the juicy details of her little adventure," I grabbed a bag of cheese-balls and stared at Caroline expectantly.

After stopping Ki from going and bashing in the boys heads for being such idiots, Caroline started describing her first date.

"And at the game, we laughed so much. We even..." she lowered her voice to a whisper, "...held hands!" she giggled and acted like it was the most scandalous thing she had ever heard of.

We all started laughing and I threw a cheese ball at caught it and made a face at me, then popped it in her mouth with a smile.

"Hey, so what's up with Sirius? We haven't seen him in a while," she asked Kiki as she licked her fingers.

"Actually, I don't really know. He says there's some big surprise he is working on for me, but I have no clue what it could be."

Lily suddenly giggled, and we all turned to look at her. "I know what it is," she admitted.

"What what what?!" we all chanted.

"I can't tell you! I promised I wouldn't spoil the surprise!"

"But that's just for Kiki! You can tell us!" Jules implored.

"Oi! That's rude!" Kiki complained, but we just all continued berating Lily until she finally told us. We all gasped.

"Oh my God. Kiki, give me your boyfriend!" Jules begged Ki.

"No! And what's happening?! C'mon, at least give me a clue!" she whined.

"No! You'll just have to wait and see!" Lily said stubbornly.

Kiki groaned and fell backwards on to her pillows.

A few minutes later, Jules groaned. "I'm booored! Let's do something!"

"Want to go have a late-night ice cream run?" Caroline suggested.

"Nah, I'm stuffed," I said.

"Hey! I know what we should do!" Lily piped up. We all turned to her and she lowered her voice, "Let's prank the guys."

"WHAT?!" We all exclaimed, and Lily hurriedly shushed us.

"Gosh! You want it to be over before we even get started?" she whispered. "Now here's what I was thinking..." she explained her plan, and personally I thought it was perfect. However, Caroline didn't share my enthusiasm.

"I don't know, do you think it's a good idea to prank them? We all know they're going to get us back, and it will be ten times worse than whatever we do," she fretted.

"But Caroline, that's half of the fun, because then we will hit them back, and it will be even bigger," Jules explained.

Caroline was still a bit uncertain, but she agreed to help us. The boys were completely fixated on their show, so they didn't notice us preparing our prank. However, there were several times when I had to pull Kiki and Caroline away from the tv, because they were trying to watch the show as well.

"God, you two are such geeks," Lily teased as we met up in Kiki's apartment.

"What? The Doctor is amazing! I've been watching it since I was about fourteen!" Caroline said.

"Plus, David Tennant is cute," Kiki chimed in.

"Hey, you have a boyfriend! Besides, Matt Smith is better," Caroline argued.

"While I'd hat to interrupt this gripping debate, we need to get this finished before the next episode ends!" Juled interrupted.

They both sighed, but then we started putting the final touches on our preparations.

When we had finished, we all peered into Aiden and Mariam's apartment. The episode was almost over, and the boys didn't even know we were there.

Lily took her place, and then whispered, "Alright, in three...two...one...GO!"


	27. Beautiful Boys

**Harry's POV**

So, we were watching Doctor Who. I was actually surprised that Caroline and Kiki hadn't come to join us, they love the Doctor.

Mariam had left a little while ago, so we had started talking about guy stuff. Who had the best score on Ender Lives, who was the strongest, etc.

"So I'm a bit curious about this Matt guy," Jamie suddenly spoke up.

"Actually, me too," Aiden said as he dunked his cookie in some milk.

"What for? He likes Caroline, it's not that surprising," I said, turning back to the show.

"Well, yeah, but we don't know him," Jamie said.

"So? We don't know most of the Gryffindors. Just James, Lily, and Sirius."

"But we know _everyone_ Caroline hangs out with. We're all one big group. And Matt isn't a part of it."

"Are you suggesting we break them up? Nuh uh, not happening," Aiden stated firmly. I raised my eyebrow, and he just shrugged. "I'm not messing up her first relationship."

"I wasn't suggesting that anyway," Jamie said. I looked at him and saw a crazy gleam, one that only appears whenever he is scheming. "I merely wanted to...ensure that he is...trustworthy enough...to be a part of the group."

"You mean snoop," I said, recognizing his ever-present curiosity.

"Exactly," he said with a satisfied smile.

Aiden just smirked and took a swig of butterbeer. "Give me a time and place, my friend. Snooping is what I do best."

The show ended, and we were about to pull out our computers, when the room suddenly went black.

"What the...?" I heard Aiden say. "Ok, we probably just blew a fuse. I'll go check." I heard a crash, and I figured he had just knocked something over. Suddenly, my arms felt really cold, as well as my legs. My face felt sticky, and my shoes felt WAY too tall.

"Ugh, I should have worn my jacket, it's freezing in here!" I heard Jamie complain from the couch.

"Me too," Aiden said. "Hey guys? Could you help me up? I can't stand in these shoes."

Just as quickly as they had gone out, the lights flew back on again, and all three of us let out a shout.

Jamie, previously sporting a t-shirt, jeans, and jacket, was now dressed in a bright pink frilly dress with puffy shoulders. He had on pink stilettos, a giant hair bow, and a ton of makeup.

Aiden was now wearing a tight black skirt and halter top. He also had on black wedges and makeup.

I started laughing. "You guys look ridiculous!"

"Oi, you might want to look in a mirror," Aiden said, folding his arms.

I apprehensively walked over to Mariam's full length mirror and groaned. Out of the three of us, I was the worst. I was now wearing a purple mini-skirt, seven inch gold heels, a blonde wig, and a gold sparkly shirt that read, "I love my chihuahua!" My face was CAKED with purple makeup, and I discovered a rhinestone-covered purse hanging off my shoulder.

We heard hysterical laughter coming from the hall. Stumbling in our idiotic shoes, we hurried to see who it was. Kiki, Mariam, Colleen, Jules, and Lily were rolling around on the floor clutching their stomachs trying to breathe. Behind them stood James and Sirius, who was clutching a camera and grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh, you girls are SO gonna get it!" Aiden said. It didn't make much of an impression though, because right afterwards he stumbled and lost one of his wedges. This only made the girls laugh harder.

"Nice shirt, Harry. Where can I get one?" Kiki teased.

"Here, you can have this one," I said, pulling it off and throwing it at her. Everyone went silent for a sec, staring at me. Then they burst into renewed cackling, and when I looked down I could see why. I was wearing a black lacy bra.

"I hate you," I gumbled, but I was smiling, so I don't think they believed me.


	28. Glitter and Books

**Kiki's POV**

Ah, prank wars. I hadn't been a part of one since my sixth year. The next two weeks were filled with dung bomb ambushes, hair-dying showers, and missing video games. (the boys LOVED that)

I was so busy devising new ways of causing mischief, that I forgot about Sirius's surprise! Until one day while we were working on a (rather loud) surprise for the boys. Sirius and James had stayed on the girl's side, mainly because James refused to prank Lily and Sirius and I were wicked amazing at coming up with legendary pranks together.

"Don't make any plans for tomorrow night," Sirius suddenly said as he strapped some Filbuster's Fireworks into our contraption.

"Ok, what are we doing?" I asked.

Sirius smiled and rolled his eyes, "It's a surprise, remember?"

"Oh yeah! Sorry, I've had pranks on my mind for the past few days. It completely slipped my mind."

"Just don't forget about tomorrow," Sirius said, poking me in the side. I bust into giggles and dropped my potion.

Luckily, James appeared next to me. Showing his seeker skills, he swooped down and caught the bottle before it could shatter on the ground. Sirius and I clapped, and James took an exaggerated bow.

"You two need to stop flirting and get this done," he said as he handed me the bottle. "We need this by tonight if we are gonna hit them before they hit us!"

Apparently, according to Mariam, the boys had been meeting in secret at Harry and Jamie's apartment. Aiden had been staying over there late for the past four nights, so it wasn't hard to figure out that they were planning something. Something big.

"Calm down, I'm finishing it now," Sirius said. A few minutes later, he showed us the finished product.

He turned and showed us our masterpiece.

It was a pyromaniac's dream. A small magical rocket filled with Filbuster fireworks and a secret compartment holding a ton of glitter. Our plan was to set it off in Harry and Jamie's apartment during their nightly meeting. If all went well, the boys would soon be startled with a loud glitter bomb.

"Oh yeah, this is the perfect payback for my blue hair catastrophe" Jules suddenly said from the door. She grinned and I must admit I was a little frightened of the crazy look on her face.

Unfortunately, I missed the grand unveiling. Right before we were supposed to execute our plan, Caroline pulled me inside her apartment.

"Kiki, I need help," Caroline said. Her hair was messy, and she looked incredibly worried.

I looked reluctantly over at the others getting ready to start the show, but then turned back to Caroline. "Ok, lets go make some cocoa and you can tell me what's wrong."

A few minutes later, we were sitting on the couch holding cups of my secret recipe cocoa. Caroline was silent for about two minutes, but then she sat up and looked at me.

"I'm worried. I don't know how to act around Matt."

I smiled, "What do you mean? Just act like yourself."

"But what if I mess up and do something stupid, or say something weird?" I could see that this was really scaring her, so I took a gentler tone.

"Don't worry about it, love. If you make a mistake, just laugh about it. Don't be so self-conscious. He likes you for who you are, he said so at the restaurant, remember?"

She sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

She still looked worried, and I wasn't convinced that she believed me, but this flew out of my mind when we heard a big BANG. We ran out into the hallway to see three very unhappy glitter-covered boys running around trying to de-sparklify themselves. I almost cried from laughing so hard when I saw that Harry had apparently taken off his shirt right before the bomb went off.

The next night, I stood waiting for Sirius to finish getting ready. He always took ten times longer to get ready than I did. I swear, he and Aiden can act more like girls than Mariam and I. He finally came out of the bathroom, and I clapped as he modeled his outfit. He was wearing a pair of jeans with a white collar shirt, a tie, and a vest.

"Cheesy much?" I teased him.

"Hey, I look hot!" Sirius said, flipping his shaggy hair and sticking his tongue out at me.

I laughed, grabbed him by his tie, and kissed him. "Yes, you do."

He grinned and kissed me again.

"Oi, we need to get going," I laughed.

"Oh, first, you need to put this on," Sirius pulled out a piece of cloth and gently tied it around my head. Then, he grasped my hand and led me out of the door and up the stairs.

All at once, a sweet smell filled the air. It reminded me of home-baked cookies. The air was warm, and I heard running water.

He led me a little farther, then sat me down on something soft.

"Ok, open your eyes," he said as he pulled off my blindfold. After my eyes adjusted to the light, I gasped.

I was sitting on a beanbag chair in the most amazing room I've ever seen in my entire life, lit by floating glowing orbs. The walls were lined with bookshelves filled with all of my favorites. Next to my little chair, there was a short keyboard with a microphone attached. Throughout the room, a small stream ran, with a tiny bridge in the very center. In the corner, there was a flat screen tv complete with all my favorite gaming systems. I walked to a pair of sliding doors and pulled them open. Outside was a balcony overlooking Godric's Hollow.

Sirius walked up behind me and said, "Do you like it?"

"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," I said, turning around. "But why did you get so dressed up?"

"Because we still need to go to dinner, duh." He laughed. I smiled and we walked out of the room. It was then that I noticed it was located right next to the door leading to the roof.

"How do I get in again?" I asked as it closed behind us.

"With this," he said as he handed me a necklace shaped like a paw print. "Just press the paw against the wall and the door opens."

I laughed and said, "Wonder where you got that idea."

He smirked, and we headed off to dinner.


	29. The Notebook

**Caroline's POV**

I watched Sirius walk Ki out of her apartment and smiled. Jules, Mariam, and I had convinced him to show us first, and I knew that Kiki was going to love it. I walked back over to my mirror and continued to get ready for my own date. It would be my third with Matt, so I was excited.

I heard a knock on my door and Matt walked in.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Almost," I said as I pulled back my hair into a simple ponytail.

Just at that moment, the door to my apartment slammed shut. I ran over and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. I heard the boys laughing outside, and seconds later I heard Jules screaming at them from Mariam's apartment.

"YOU IDIOTS I AM GOING TO KILL YOU IF YOU DO NOT LET ME OUT RIGHT NOW!"

"Sorry Jules," Harry snickered. "You aren't allowed out until we say so."

"Harry," I said calmly, "if you don't let me out right now, every single computer in your apartment will be GONE by MORNING."

He was silent for a second, and the lock started to move, but it suddenly stoped, and Aiden said, "No you idiot. We are NOT backing off now."

Mariam growled from next door, "Aiden. Open. It. NOW."

"Uuuuuh, ok."

"NO." Jamie spoke up. "We are NOT relenting now."

They continued bickering for the next few minutes, but I had given up.

"Why don't we just apparate?" Matt asked from behind me. He had been smiling throughout the entire ordeal, and he was currently lounging on the couch.

"Can't. Safety precautions. You can't apparate into or out of any of our apartments," I explained as I grabbed two butterbeers from my fridge. It looked like we would be stuck for a while.

"That takes some serious skillage. How did you manage it?" He accepted the butterbeer and I sat down next to him.

"You forget that Kiki, Jules, Mariam, Harry, Aiden, Jamie, and I are all from Ravenclaw. And that Kiki and Harry were head boy and girl. We are incredibly smart people," I said with no small amount of modesty.

He laughed and strteched his arms. Using the oldest move in the book, his arm came to rest on my shoulders. "So I guess we're dining in tonight. I think the boys are losing their touch. I mean, placing us under house arrest? Seriously?"

"Yeah, they normally go for the more showy pranks. I wonder if they're up to something," I cautiously looked around the room, expecting some green ooze to start seeping out of the walls or something. Nothing happened, and outside it was completely silent. I shrugged, and reached for the remote. I turned on the tv to find one of my favorite movies on. _The Notebook_.

I started to change it, but Matt stopped me and said, "Wait, can we watch it? I...kind of love this movie," His face turned red and he smiled shyly.

I just stared at him, the boy who was a super popular athlete at school liked a total chick flick? Suddenly, I surprised both of us by kissing him. Then I smiled shyly, and settled in to watch the movie.

The movie had only just finished when I heard a scream that sounded like it came from Jules. Matt and I jumped up and ran to the door. I cautiously tried the handle, and was thankful to find it unlocked. We ran into Mariam's apartment and found...spiders. Spiders everywhere. The only spider-free space was a little island in the middle where Jules and Mariam were standing, screaming their heads off. My face turned white and I ran back to my apartment. To my horror, the place was filled with hundreds of snakes.

I screamed and hid behind Matt, who looked just as terrified as I did.

The boys were laughing in their appartment when we stormed in.

"Having fun with your new pets? Aiden said between guffaws.

"WHY THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU DO THAT?" Jules screamed, and I really thought she was going to start hexing them.

"Payback. We filled your apartments with your biggest fears. Do you like it?" said Jamie.

"NO I BLOODY DON'T LIKE IT," Jules said, pulling out her wand. Mariam stopped her before she turned them all into newts, but it was a close call.

"How did you know what we were scared of anyways?" I asked, finally regaining my cool.

"Please, we always knew what you were afraid of. Mariam and Jules we found out from Aiden. Kiki, we know from transfiguration when she freaked out during one of the assignments," Harry admitted.

"Wait, Ki's apartment is filled with icky things too?" Mariam asked. Just then, we heard Ki and Sirius walk down the hall. We all fell silent and listened for the inevitable scream, but it didn't come. Suddenly, Ki came in holding a small white mouse.

"My apartment is filled with these little cuties, would you like to explain why?" she directed her questions to the boys as Sirius came walking in covered in tiny mice.

"What? You...you aren't scared? You were terrified in transfiguration!" Harry stared at her in astonishment.

"Those were rats, idiot," Kiki rolled her eyes.

"Failure," Jules whispered to me, and we both burst into giggles.

"Come on, girls. we'll help you clean up your apartments," said Sirius.

As soon as we were all out of the apartment, Kiki flicked her wand and we heard the boys yell. I turned and saw hundreds of flies pouring into the room as Ki closed the door, looking satisfied.


	30. James Finally Has a Chapter!

**James's POV**

Sirius and I were hanging out with Harry in my apartment. It had been about six months since the prank wars had ended, as a result of Jules being so mad at the boys that she refused to speak to them for two months, and even after that she still treated them all like cockroaches.

Harry and Sirius were watching the quidditch season recaps on the telly, and I was pacing back and forth, thinking about what I was about to do.

"Dude, stop. You're making it hard to concentrate on the Chudley Cannon highlights!" Harry complained from the couch.

"Oi, you can just shut it. Wait until you have to do something like this!" I snapped.

"No way, mate. I'm never going down that road. Too much stress. Plus, my boat was sunk years ago," Harry said quietly.

"Really? You're never going to try again? She would have wanted you to," Sirius said, turning to Harry.

"Dude, you've been hanging around the girls too much. No, I'm content by myself."

"Whatever. So James, how are you going to do it?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know, the old fashioned way I guess," I said. I fingered the small box in my pocket and looked at the clock. "What about you? How are you going to do it?"

"In the room, tonight. I already know she'll be in there. She has no clue," Sirius smiled and calmly turned back to the recaps.

"How the bloody hell are you so calm?!" I fretted. Two minutes until I had to leave.

"I've been preparing for this the past two months, I'm ready. There isn't really anything to worry about," Sirius glanced at his watch, "You should get going, mate. Don't want to be late."

"Same to you," I put on my coat, "Well, wish me luck." I walked out the door and apparated.

I came out under a large oak tree in the middle of the park. This was the place Lily had finally agreed to be my girlfriend, so it's only right that what I'm about to do would happen here. Lils wasn't here yet, so I sat down and went over what I would do. I had every moment planned out, and it was going to be perfect.

Just then, Lils startled me by dropping down from the tree.

"Gotcha!" She laughed as I jumped. "What's up?"

"Gah….uh…oh….um…" I stammered, completely forgetting the plan.

She grinned, "Spit it out! We can't be late for-"

"Marry me?" I suddenly burst.

Now it was her turn to be caught off guard. She stopped and stared. "Wh-what?"

I finally regained my composition and knelt on one knee. I pulled the ring out of my pocket and held it up to her. "Lily Evans, I love you. Will you marry me?"

She covered her mouth and was silent for a minute, then she nodded her head and threw her arms around me. I twirled her around in a circle, and she finally found her voice, "YES!" she practically screamed. We fell to the ground laughing and just stayed there, staring at the clouds. All I could think was, _SHE SAID YES!_


	31. Every Girl's Dream

**Kiki's POV**

I was sitting in my beanbag chair, reading the first Percy Jackson book for the eleventh time. Next to my chair, I had set up my magical music player that Jules had given me for my birthday. It was enchanted so that it played songs that matched my mood and my musical tastes. At that moment it was playing "She Is Love" by Parachute.

I heard a knock, so I got up and looked through the peep-hole I secretly installed last month. Sirius was standing in the hallway bouncing on the balls of his feet. I smiled and opened up the door.

"Hey, what's up?" I said as I walked back over to my chair.

"Could you come over here for a second?" He said as he walked towards the balcony.

I raised an eyebrow, but got up and walked over next to him. He was leaning on the railing staring at the sunset, which was particularly spectacular tonight. The gold and pink glow faded into the dark of night, where the first few stars had already started to appear. Sirius put his arm around my waist and we just stood there, side by side, until all that was left of the sunset was a faint line of red on the horizon.

Then Sirius spoke. "Kiki, I love you."

"I love you too," I said. It wasn't that big of a deal, we've said that to each other on countless occasions.

But for some reason, Sirius seemed a bit more urgent as he turned to me and said, "Yes, but I mean I _really_ love you, as in with all my heart. Which is why I never want to be separated from you. So.." He stopped and turned to me. Then, never taking his eyes away from mine, he slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny box. Grinning ever so slightly, he sank to one knee. "Marry me?" he whispered. He opened the box, and inside was a simple diamond ring. It wasn't very large, but as I gazed at the gem, I realized that it was cut so it shimmered like flames. It was perfect.

I stayed silent, and even though I wanted to scream yes at the top of my lungs, I pretended like I was thinking it over. Then I burst into laughter at the look on Sirius's face. He looked like a lost puppy.

"Of course I'll marry you, idiot!" I said. He breathed a sigh of relief, then pulled me into a kiss. Then another. And another.

Suddenly, we heard a squeal from the door, and someone shouted, "SHE SAID YES!"

I looked over at the door and saw Mariam jumping up and down. Caroline and Jules appeared behind her, along with Harry, Jamie, and Aiden. Harry looked sad for a second, but then he brightened up and came over to congratulate us. Aiden came close behind, and he pulled me into his signature pick-up-and-spin-around hug. Jamie just kind of gave me an awkward half hug and then retreated into the corner to watch more quidditch on my TV.

"Where are James and Lily?" I asked once everyone calmed down.

"Here!" I heard Lily call, and they appeared in the hallway. The moment Lily held up her left hand to reveal the glittering stone (I swear it was the size of Texas) everyone freaked out again.

Finally, Sirius and I managed to slip away back to our apartment. We practically ran inside, and I quickly closed the door behind me.

"I think our friends are more excited about this than we are," Sirius gasped as he crumpled onto the couch.

"Haha, knowing them, I wouldn't be surprised," I replied as I plunked down next to him.

"So I guess that's that," he said, nodding to the ring now on my ring finger.

"Yes, it is."

Not knowing what else there was to say, I got up, kissed him goodnight, and slipped off to bed.


	32. Love is the Greatest Magic

**Jules's POV**

Kiki was flipping out. She was running around trying to get everything ready by herself. The two happy couples had decided to have their weddings one right after the other on the same day. They would be the weddings of a century, because they were taking place on the grounds of Hogwarts. Dumbledore was the one who was to marry them, as he was the one who insisted we come here in the first place. Kiki's was first, and we were prepping her in our old Ravenclaw common room.

Of course, "we" consisted of me, Colleen, Mariam, and the Maid of Honor, Lily. The rest of us were the bridesmaids, for both Lily and Kiki. Our dresses were in no way the horrible unflattering ones normally worn to make the bride look more beautiful. Actually, they were beautiful, aquamarine satin floor-length dresses with silver flowering on the upper half and straps that tied behind the neck. Everytime we moved, the flowing material shimmered and flowed like water.

However, our dresses were nowhere near as stunning as Ki's. She absolutely detested poofy ruffled dresses, so she had opted for a simple floor-length white satin dress with a heart shaped neckline. It was enchanted so it seemed to glow like moonlight, and it made her eyes shine like the stars.

In her hair, which was curled into golden rings, she wore nothing but a white rose.

At the moment, she was panicking over her makeup, saying the left side had more eyeshadow than the right. Lily, who was surprisingly calm, just laughed and reassured her that she looked incredible. She still looked uncertain, but she nodded and got up from the mirror.

Turning to Mariam, she asked, "Did you bring what I asked for?"

Mariam nodded, and I burst into giggles as she pulled out a pair of blue high top sneakers from her purse.

"What? It's not like anyone is going to see them," Kiki said as she pulled them on over her bright orange socks. She had the strangest ideas about what was appropriate, but we loved her anyways.

Just as she finished tying them onto her feet, we heard a knock on the door.

"What is the answer to life?" we heard the door keeper ask.

"42," Dumbledore's voice replied.

"Interesting." The door opened, and in walked the headmaster. He was wearing his best purple robes, and I suppressed the urge to laugh as I realized his long white beard had been laced with flowers and ribbon. (no doubt by one of the house elves who were helping with preparations)

He walked up to Kiki and smiled kindly at her, eyes sparkling behind his spectacles.

"Ms. Thomas, may I say you look incredible. Your parents would be very proud. I came to wish you luck and to offer you some words of wisdom," he said as he took both of her smooth hands into his own weathered ones. "I cannot guarantee you happiness, nor can I say that you will never suffer, but I do know that Mr. Black loves you with all his heart. If you feel the same for him, then you have something more precious and powerful than all the magic in the world. For love is the greatest magic we possess because it comes from the soul."

Kiki's eyes filled with tears, and she surprised us all by suddenly hugging the old man like a little girl would hug her grandfather.

Dumbledore left, and we were just finishing putting the final touches on Ki's outfit when a second knock on the door caught our attention.

"Why is there something rather than nothing?"

"Because if there was nothing then that would be something," came the reply.

The door swung open, and there stood Aiden. He was wearing a tux and the aquamarine bowtie which all of the ushers were wearing and matched the bridesmaid's dresses.

"Ladies, it's about that time. Ki, are you ready?" he asked.

"As much as I'll ever be," she sighed as she accepted his arm. Aiden was the one who would give her away, since she had no father or brother to do it for her.

I was the last one out, and before I left, I took one last glance around the room where this had all started for me. I smiled as I spotted the chair that I had been reading in the first time Ki had crossed my path. I closed the door with memories of her tumbling down the stairs carrying multiple bags and her music book landing on my lap, open to my favorite song.


	33. Roses, Lilies, and Petunias

**Kiki's POV**

Aiden and I walked to the back of the gazebo we had set up by the lake. Everyone was already there, but the ceremony didn't start for another three minutes or so. As we waited, I felt a knot rise in the back of my throat. Aiden looked at me and rolled his eyes.

Poking me in the side, he said, "Not having second thoughts now, are we?"

I stifled a squeal and pretended to punch him in the side. "Never. I'm just worried. This is a big change you know. What if...what if by marrying me, I put Sirius in danger?" the knot had disappeared when he poked me, but I felt it returning as I thought about how uncertain my future was.

Aiden hugged me, then said, "Don't worry. I have it on best authority that you are well-protected. I wouldn't be surprised if Dumbledore had a secret guard on you at all times," He said with a glint in his eyes. He loves leaving me wondering if he knows something I don't or not, and he couldn't have picked a more perfect time. I was about to ask him about it when a house elf whispered to me, "It's time, miss!"

Forgetting all about Aiden and his strange remarks, I quickly straightened my dress and grabbed my bouquet of lilies and roses (I know, weird combo, but lilies are Lily's favorite flower...no duh...and roses are mine) and smiled nervously as two house elves pulled aside the curtains. We processed up the aisle, Aiden practically guiding me like a blind person. At the end, Sirius stood by Dumbledore. He looked calm and collected, and to be honest, James looked more nervous than any of us.

I'm not going to bore you with the ceremony, but basically no one objected, we exchanged rings, and then Dumbledore announced us man and wife.

We kissed, everyone cheered, and then we all left to get ready for the second wedding. As I walked back up to the castle, it suddenly dawned on me that I was now Kiki Black. Everything had passed so quickly I had hardly thought about it.

Just as I had been in the Ravenclaw common room, Lily was set up in the Gryffindor common room. I was the last up, and as I walked into the room, Caroline tackled me with a hug.

"OHMIGOSHYOU'REMARRIED!" she screamed, less than a second later she was joined by Jules, Mariam, and Lily.

I laughed, "Guys, stop, plenty of time for that later. Lils has to get ready."

"In a second, I just remembered I have to go check something. Be back in five!" Lils suddenly exclaimed. Then she ran out the door and out of sight.

"What was that all about?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.

"Um...not a clue, but YOU'RE MARRIED!" Mariam jumped up and down.

Rolling my eyes, I walked over to the bag that held Lily's outfit. Pulling it out, I smiled as the yellow dress came into view. It had a white lace bodice, with a poofy yellow bottom (I didn't like that part as much). Lily hated wearing white, so she decided to throw tradition to the wind.

We started setting up as we waited for her to return. Five minutes passed, ten, twenty, finally I decided to go find her.

I searched all over the grounds and couldn't find her anywhere. Then, on a hunch, I decided to check our favorite secret nook. It was called the room of requirement, I believe, and Lily and I had created our own version that only the two of us could access. Sure enough, I entered the brightly lit indoor garden to find her crying on a stump.

I ran over to her, "Lily, what happened? What's the matter?" I asked, concerned.

"P-P-Petunia..." Lily snuffled.

I frowned. I had only met Petunia once and it wasn't pretty. She had called me a freak and ended up with mouse ears for two days. Mr. and Mrs. Evans weren't too thrilled about that, but they didn't hold it against me. Nor did Lily.

"What did she say, did she insult you? Why if I get my hands on that little..."

"No!" Lily interrupted. "She didn't do anything, that's the point. She didn't come at all. The only family I have left and she didn't even come to her own sister's wedding." She broke down into tears again, and my face softened.

"Hey, that's not true, you have a giant family!"

"No I don't, they're all dead," she looked at me with furrowed eyebrows.

I just rolled my eyes and held up my hands. "Lets see, there's Jamie," I held up one finger, "Jules," two fingers, "Aiden," three, etc. "Harry, Mariam, Caroline, Sirius, Remus, James, and oh, I don't know...me. Child, you have the biggest family I've ever seen, and you know what? Petunia isn't a part of it."

Finally, she cracked a smile. I helped her dry her tears and we ran off to finish getting her ready...with only an hour to do so. Somehow, we managed to curl her hair and make her look absolutely gorgeous with enough time for me to temporarily change into my maid of honor dress.

Remus came to pick up Lily (he was giving her away) and we all took our places in the gazebo. Lily looked beautiful as she walked up the aisle, but my attention was caught for a second by a greasy-haired big-nosed punk hiding in the shadows of the back row. Snape had come.


	34. Defying the Dark Lord

**Lily's POV**

Guess what? I'm married. Weird, right? The ceremony was relatively uneventful, except for when Jules's Uncle Bilius stood up during the kiss and….well….let's just say that it was memorable.

After the wedding, Kiki changed back into her gown and we went to the reception. It was being held in the great hall, and I must admit Dumbledore outdid himself. The room was filled with floating white fairy lights, the banners were now white with our names written in gold thread, and the normal four long tables had been replaced with small round tables on one half of the room, with the other side set up for dancing. The head table was still in place, but it was covered with a white tablecloth. Four large seats were set in the middle with four smaller seats on either side. James, Kiki, Sirius, and I sat in the middle seats while Dumbledore, Harry, Jamie, Jules, Caroline, Aiden, Mariam, and Remus sat in the rest of the seats.

Everyone was laughing and eating, and I was smiling like a fool. I saw similar smiles on James's Kiki's and Sirius's faces, so I figured it was a wedding thing.

I was just finishing a conversation with Harry about Polyjuice Potion and how to recognize if someone is who they say they are, when I caught a glimpse of Kiki's face. She was glaring at someone, and she looked ready for murder. I followed her gaze, and I realized who she was staring at. There was someone standing just outside the great hall, leaning against the doors.

Severus.

At my wedding.

I didn't know whether to be angry, happy, or sad at this, but I did know that Kiki wasn't happy about it. As I watched, she whispered something in Sirius's ear, and he looked over at Severus as well. His face filled with rage, and Kiki had to keep him from jumping out of his seat. Luckily, the band had started warming up, so no one noticed as they quietly slipped away. I followed, telling James that I needed to use the restroom. I felt bad about lying, but James still didn't know about the warehouse.

Severus wasn't paying attention to us, so he didn't know what was coming until Sirius hit him with a stunning spell. Then Kiki and Sirius quickly and quietly pulled him out into the hall. They dragged him to an abandoned classroom and closed the door.

I looked around, but everyone was still enjoying the band, and the slow dances weren't for another half hour. Very carefully, I pulled open the door just enough to be able to hear and see what was going on.

"-the hell are you doing here, Snivellus?" Sirius was saying.

They had tied him to a chair, and they now stood with both wands pointed at his face. He looked anxious about something.

"I need to talk to Lily. It's important," he sounded sincere.

"That's not going to happen. You are NOT going to ruin this day for her," Kiki was furious. She looked like she was ready to turn him into a slug and squash him right there.

"Oh really?" Sev raised an eyebrow. "Too late, so sorry. Lily, could you restrain your mutts?" he suddenly called.

Realizing I'd been made, I walked into the room. Kiki frowned and pulled me to one side.

"Lily, you should leave. We can handle this. Go back to James," she begged.

I quietly shook my head stubbornly. Ki sighed, then we walked back over to Sev and Sirius. The two were staring daggers at each other.

"Could you two give us a moment?" Severus sneered.

"There's no way in hell we would leave you alone with Lil," Sirius barked.

"What do you want, Severus?" I quickly interjected before they broke out into another argument.

He shot a look at Ki and Sirius, then turned to me. "I come with a message from my Lord."

"Voldemort, you mean," Ki spat.

Ignoring her, Sev stared at me imploringly. He was extremely agitated about something, that's for sure. "Lily, I need you to listen to me….please," he begged. "My Lord feels that you have potential. Despite your blood status, he believes that you are worthy of greatness. We want you to join us."

"Excuse me? If you really think that I would even _consider-" _I started, but Severus interrupted me.

"Please, Lily! This is your last chance!" he burst. "It's the only way to guarantee your safety!"

Just then, the door opened and to my horror James walked in, closely followed by Aiden and Harry. He froze when he saw Severus. Then, rage filling his eyes, he pulled out his wand and advanced toward Sev. I ran forward and blocked his path, and Aiden grabbed him from behind. As he struggled, James yelled obscenities over my head at Severus. Harry helped Aiden, and together they managed to pull James out of the room.

I wiped away a tear before anyone could see, then I turned to Sev. Ignoring Kiki's and Sirius's protests, I untied him. He rubbed his wrists and started to get up, but he froze when he realized my wand was pointed straight at his chest.

"Let's get this straight. I will never, repeat NEVER, join Voldemort. Now get out of my wedding and out of my life," I growled. Then I grabbed the arms of a stunned Kiki and Sirius and walked out of the room, never looking back.

"James!" I ran up to where he was standing in the courtyard. "James, let me explain-"

"No, don't," he interrupted.

"What?"

"Lily, we're at our wedding. What just happened is irrelevant, at least until tomorrow. But right now, we need to forget about it," James surprised me by saying.

I was so shocked that I couldn't think of what to say. It wasn't like James to let this kind of thing go so easily. I didn't have much time to ponder this, however, because at that exact moment, Jules appeared at the door.

"Hurry up, you two! The spotlight dance is just about to start!" She hurried us into the Great Hall, and we were greeted by spotlights focused directly at us. The first part of the "spotlight dance" consisted of the brides dancing with the best man. Remus offered me his arm, and Aiden did the same for Ki. After the song was finished, it was time for the grooms to dance with the maids of honor. Sirius smiled and bowed to me. I curtsied playfully, and then we started dancing.

"How are you holding up?" he asked quietly as we danced.

"Fine," I replied.

"And James?"

"He doesn't want us to worry about it right now."

Sirius nodded, satisfied, and the song ended. Finally, it was time for the bride to dance with the groom. James came over and we started dancing. Unlike with Sirius and Aiden, the entire room seemed to disappear and it was just James and I. I forgot about Severus for the moment, and I finally started to enjoy my wedding night. As James and I whirled around the dance floor, it was almost like we were dancing on clouds.

The night was filled with speeches from Aiden, Remus, Jules, Caroline, and Mariam. At one point, Peter Pettigrew tried to make a speech, but he was drowned out by the booming voice of Hagrid, who had been drinking a bit too much firewhiskey and was now belting out an old ballad about a man who lost his love in the woods only to discover that she was in fact a guardian of the forest. (or something like that)

Finally, it was time for us to depart for our honeymoon. James carried me to the carriage, and we set off to start our life together.


	35. Two Years Later

**Kiki's POV**

**Two years later.**

Lily and I sat in the living room of her new home. Upstairs, newborn Harry, named after Harry Joseph of course, slept soundly in his crib. And next to him slept…..my son.

Dean.

Harry was two months younger than Dean, and he looked exactly like James. Dean on the other hand, had my fair skin, Sirius's black hair, and my eyes. I loved him very much, which is why what I was about to do killed me inside.

I knew the danger Harry was in, it was the same danger I faced every day in the outside world. But my son was in even more danger. You see, the Dark Lord considered me a greater threat than Harry because I was an adult and therefore more likely to fight him soon. He would stop at nothing to gain an advantage over me….even harming my own son.

Sirius and I knew what we had to do. Dumbledore had helped, he spread the rumor that Dean had died in childbirth so no one knew the truth. That we were sending Dean away. Forever.

Dumbledore was meeting us tonight to take Dean to his new home. There was a muggle woman who recently lost her baby to pneumonia, he had told us. With the use of a few memory charms, Dumbledore was to make her believe that my beautiful baby…was hers.

Lily and I sat silently, waiting for James, Sirius, and Dumbledore to arrive. There was no crying, no comforting, just silent acceptance. Finally, the front door opened and they walked in. I got up without a word, walked up the stairs, entered Harry's room, and picked up my baby. He was eight months old now, and he rarely cried. I carried him back downstairs, where Dumbledore was explaining some of the finer points of what was to happen. Apparently, the muggle woman was African, so my baby's skin needed to be darker. Dumbledore wanted to change his eye color as well, since his hazel-green eyes weren't exactly commonplace. However, I wouldn't allow it. I wanted my son to have something to remember me by.

By the time Dumbledore had finished, Dean was fully awake. He laughed and tugged on the old man's beard. Dumbledore just smiled, eyes twinkling. Seeing this, I relaxed a bit. No matter what would happen, I could count on him to take care of Dean. I tried to keep that in mind when Dumbledore announced it was time for them to go.

As I held my baby for the last time, the tears that had been absent all night suddenly rushed forth with surprising force. Sensing his mother's unhappiness, Dean started crying too. Dumbledore gently took Dean from me, and Sirius pulled me into his arms. I was surprised to find tears glistening on his cheeks as well. We stood together and watched as our son left us, never to return.


	36. The Choice

**Sirius's POV**

It was late afternoon on a cold October day, and Kiki and I were sitting in my apartment discussing today's plans. I had to go check on Peter, he never could take care of himself. Kiki said she was going to go visit Lily, and maybe read in her library. Harry, Jules, Caroline, Jamie, Mariam, and Aiden were all in their apartments, getting ready for the Halloween party tonight I assumed.

"I better get going. Death Eaters were sighted near Wormy's hideout, and he tends to wet himself when he gets scared," I rolled my eyes.

Kiki chuckled at the memory of our excitable friend and I gave her a kiss goodbye.

"Love you, beautiful," I called as I walked out the door and down the hall. I stuck my head into Jamie's and Harry's apartment.

"Hey, I need you three to keep an eye on Kiki. I don't like how quiet things have been lately," I said as Aiden, Harry, and Jamie looked up from their card game.

"Sure thing, mate. You can count on us," Harry said as he stared at his hand. Then he set his cards on the table and shouted, "I WIN!"

I walked back into the hall and wandered into Jules and Caroline's apartment. They were sitting on the couch reading books. Mariam was busy playing video games next to them.

"Hey Sirius, what's up?" she called as she shot a virtual zombie's head off.

"Can you three go with Ki to visit Lily? I don't want her going anywhere by herself."

"Definitely, I need to talk to Lils about babysitting baby Harry next Friday anyways. He is so cute!" She exclaimed. I cracked a smile as I thought about my godson. Only a year old and he could already ride a broom better than Harry Senior.

Content that Ki wouldn't be alone, I left for Peter's. Of course, I couldn't apparate right into the safe house, it was protected just like my apartment. Instead I had to walk several miles over some hills to find the little cottage in which he stayed.

I reached the top of the final hill and stopped dead in my tracks. The house was gone. All that was left was a smoldering pile of ash and a charred stone fireplace. No Dark Mark was visible in the sky, so I ran down to the wreckage and frantically searched for any sign of Wormy. There was nothing, not even a shoe.

Suddenly, I heard a voice from behind me sneer, "Sirius Black. We meet again."

I spun around and whipped my wand out of my pocket. Standing behind me was Lucius Malfoy.

"What have you done with Peter?" I demanded.

"Absolutely nothing. What has he done to you would be a better question. You see, Pettigrew was the smartest of you all. He saw that your side was losing, so he decided to….ah…_re-evaluate_ his choice in allies," Lucius drawled, looking almost bored.

I didn't understand what he was talking about. Peter was a Marauder, even if he wasn't a very good wizard. And Marauders are loyal to the end.

"You're lying," I growled.

"Oh I wouldn't believe that if I were you. Especially if you want to save your _girlfriend."_

My face went white, and I suddenly wanted to run back the way I came and disapparate just to make sure she was safe. Could I make it away before Lucius could stop me? He hadn't taken out his wand yet, so may be if I made a break for it I could get to the other side of the hill and run until I could apparate again.

But Lucius knew exactly what was going through my mind. "Ah, wait, but is she more important than your _best friends? _You might want to think about that_"_

I realized what he meant. Peter was the secret keeper for James and Lily, could he have possibly…?

"Go to hell," I said as I shot a stunning spell at him. He deflected it, but made no move to retaliate. He didn't even try and stop me as I started running back up the hill. Behind me, I heard him yell, "Make your choice, loverboy. You can't save them both!"


	37. The Darkest Hour

**Sirius's POV**

I ran as fast as I could, and when I reached the magical barrier, I immediately sent a patronus to Dumbledore. Hoping he would get the message that James, Lily, and baby Harry were in danger. Then I immediately apparated to my building.

No one was on the street, and every window was black. But there, above the roof, was a green dark mark floating in the sky. I ran inside and took the steps three at a time. All of our apartments' doors were smashed in. I ran inside Jules and Caroline's and found….Jules. Her eyes were wide open, but there was no light behind them. Fighting back tears, I ran into my own apartment. A moment of temporary relief when I found no more bodies, but grief all over again once I discovered Jamie slumped on the ground in his and Harry's apartment.

Now panicking, I frantically searched for any sign of where Kiki and the rest might be. Suddenly, I heard a loud bang from upstairs. I flew up the steps to the top floor and discovered that Kiki's library door was blown to pieces. I rushed in and tried to peer through the smoke that filled the whole room. I heard a strangled cry and something blew me over. I felt someone kiss me and I practically screamed when I realized it was Kiki.

"Oh thank god you're alive!" she pulled me to my feet and we dived behind an overturned table as three killing curses passed directly over our heads.

"Kiki, downstairs, Jules and Jamie.."

"I know," she said, her eyes welling with tears. "They ambushed us. Jules and Jamie tried to stop them, but…"

I heard cackling, and recognized the voice of my cousin. Bellatrix was leading the attack on my friends.

"Where are the others?" I whispered frantically.

"Well, you don't know this, but I made some renovations. I added a laser tag arena, and we're holding it. I don't know how we can get back there without getting killed. Maybe if we-"

"Hey guys," said Harry as he suddenly jumped over the table and landed next to us. "We've managed to create a small opening, but we need to move. NOW."

We raced out from behind the table and I noticed the ten Death Eaters for the first time. We raced past where Mariam and Aiden were fighting side by side into a room filled with even more smoke and glowing flashing lights everywhere. Aiden and Mariam ran in behind us, then they knelt by the door and kept firing spells out into the main room.

Harry led us into the back to where Caroline and Matt were trying to contact the ministry. Caroline's face was streaked with tears.

"Any luck?" Harry asked.

"No, it seems that the ministry is too busy. Death Eaters have been attacking all over Great Britain. I can't contact Lily and James either, are they all right?"

"Not a clue," I replied, remembering Malfoy's words.

"Guys? A little help would be nice!" I heard Aiden call from the door.

Then, suddenly, someone screamed. It was Mariam.

My face went white as I heard Aiden cry, "NO! NO, MARIAM, NO!" then he fell silent and Death Eaters came pouring in the door. Harry and I stood side by side in front of Kiki, protecting her from view. The Death Eaters lined up on the opposite side, and Bellatrix came sauntering in. Behind her, I saw two bodies lying on the ground side by side.

Bellatrix cackled. "Cousin, I think it's time I met your wife."

From behind me, Kiki stood tall even though she looked like all she wanted to do was fall to the ground and cry. She tried to push past me, but Harry and I held her back.

"Bellatrix, you're dead," Harry said fiercely, pulling out his wand.

"Oh really? You think you can win? Tonight, the Dark Lord shall vanquish all that could possibly stand in his way, and first on that list is your _lovely _spouse, Sirius."

"Over my dead body," I growled. I felt Kiki tremble behind me.

Bellatrix looked amused. She started laughing, and the rest of the Death Eaters followed suit. Then she raised her hand and they all ceased immediately. "Ok!"

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as a green light suddenly sprouted from her wand, headed straight for my chest. But right before it hit me, I was pushed aside and fell to the ground. The spell hit my savior, and Kiki, my beautiful Kiki, fell limp and lifeless, a look of fierce determination still frozen on her face.

"NO!" Harry yelled as he shook her shoulders. "Kiki, Kiki come back. Don't be stupid, come back! Don't leave us, not now."

I didn't move, I couldn't believe that she was dead, she couldn't be dead. I didn't comprehend what just happened, didn't believe what I just saw was the truth.

I was brought to my senses by the sound of Bellatrix's squeals of triumph. Blinded with rage, I reached for my wand. I slowly stood, the celebrating Death Eaters too preoccupied to notice. Before they even realized what was happening, five of them were dead and one more was immobilized. I dueled with the last masked Death Eater, and once I hit him with a stunning spell I noticed that Bellatrix had fled out the door. I ran after her, Matt and Caroline calling for me to wait. The last thing I remember was seeing her bushy black hair disappear through the door before an explosion from behind me turned my world black.

The next thing I knew, I was lying in a bush outside my apartment. Or rather, where my apartment used to be. I could see nothing of my old home but a pile of smoldering ash. Then I remembered. Everyone was gone . My entire world was blown apart in a matter of seconds. I couldn't move, I couldn't think, all I could do was feel wave after wave of pain roll over me, both physical and emotional. I don't know how long I stayed like that, but I was finally jostled out of my trance by the sound of muggle sirens in the distance.

I sat up and pulled out my wand. Very carefully, I healed myself as best I could and limped off into the woods.

Then I remembered James and Lily and Harry. Frantically, I rushed to my motorbike and flew to their house. All I found was a crumbling house. Suddenly, Hagrid appeared from among the rubble carrying a tiny white bundle. I ran over to him and felt a tiny bit of relief through my overwhelming grief.

"Sirius," Hagrid said grimly as I approached.

"James and Lily?" I whispered as I peered at my godson's sleepy face.

The look on Hagrid's face confirmed my worst fears.

He comforted me as I felt tears streaming down my face.

"There there, not e'rythin turned out all tha' bad. Harry's still here!" he pointed out halfheartedly. My godson was cooing and staring at me with bright eyes. Lily's eyes.

"Give Harry to me, Hagrid, I'm his godfather, I'll look after him." I requested, feeling determined to protect the last living memory of my best friends.

"Ah, Sirius, I would, but Dumbledore wants him to go to his aunt and uncle's. Blood relatives an' all tha'." Hagrid shifted his weight uncomfortably.

"Petunia? That's insane! Give him to me, Hagrid. I promised Lily and James I wouldn't let anything happen to him. It's what they would have wanted," I pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Sirius. It's Dumbledore's direct orders. Go talk to him if yeh want."

Seeing how determined he was, I backed down. I'd have better luck trying to convince a vampire to not drink blood than I would trying to get Hagrid to go against Dumbledore. Still, I thought about Harry's future being tormented by his aunt and uncle. I didn't like the sound of their son, either. Looking at my motorbike, I felt determined to give my godson something to remember me by.

"Take my bike," I said decidedly.

"Wha'?" Hagrid said, surprised at my sudden change of heart.

"Take my bike. I won't need it anymore."

Hagrid shrugged and mounted my bike.

As he started her up, I called over the roar, "And take care of him for me, will you?"

"What'd yeh say?" Hagrid yelled.

"Take care of him!" I bellowed.

"Yes, I feel that way too!" Hagrid boomed back, obviously misunderstanding my words. "Bye!" he called as he stepped on the gas and rose into the air.

It was strange, after everything I had lost that night, seeing my best friends' son in good hands made a tiny spark of hope that caught fire in my heart. Then I remembered Kiki, and my rage for her death was renewed. I set out in search for the one who caused my pain. The one who betrayed me. Peter Pettigrew.


	38. Through the Veil

**Fourteen Years Later**

Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: He was laughing at her. "Come on, you can do better than that," he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room.

The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest.

The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock…

It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch….

And Harry saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on his godfather's wasted, once-handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind and then fell back into place

**Sirius's POV**

I felt weightless, like I was gliding through water. Moments before, my entire body had been in agony, radiating out from where Bellatrix's spell had hit me. Now, however, it felt like I had just woken up from a long sleep. It took me awhile to realize that my eyes were closed, but even then I still didn't want to open them. That is...not until I heard someone whisper my name. Someone I hadn't heard in fourteen years.

"Sirius. Open your eyes, love."

Very slowly, I raised my eyelids a sliver, not wanting to discover I was dreaming. Through the tiny crack, I saw a golden shimmer and the sweet scent of freshly baked cookies washed over me. I opened my eyes fully.

Kneeling next to where I lay was Kiki, her golden hair seemed to glow. Her eyes were alight with her old fire, and she looked every bit as beautiful as I remembered.

She held my gaze for a few seconds, then I pulled her into a kiss.

"I missed you so much," I whispered.

"I know," she replied.

"Hey, we missed you too you know," I heard someone call from behind Kiki. Looking away from her for the first time, I realized that James stood with Lily, as well as Mariam and Aiden, Jules, Jamie, Caroline and Matt, and Harry Joseph. He was standing with his arm around a beautiful girl who looked exactly like Kiki, but instead of fire, her eyes reminded me of flowing water and soft rain. Mary. I'd never seen Harry looking so happy and so at peace. He was smiling and his eyes were sparkling with good humor.

"Sirius!" Lily cried as she tackled me with a hug.

I laughed, "Hey there Lily Pad."

James was next, and he pulled me into a hug. "Thanks for looking after Harry for us."

"Harry!" I exclaimed, remembering my godson and everything that was transpiring back at the ministry. I whirled around and discovered that the veil was still fluttering behind me.

It was like I was peering through a sheet of smoke. On the other side, I could see the Department of Mysteries room. Harry Junior was running toward the arch, yelling "SIRIUS! SIRIUS!"

As I watched, Remus grabbed Harry and prevented him from coming any further.

"There's nothing you can do, Harry-"

Get him, save him, he's only just gone through!"

"It's too late, Harry-"

"We can still reach him-" The look of anguish on Harry's face broke my heart. I wanted nothing more than to run through the veil and reassure him that everything was going to be alright. But I felt a hand on my shoulder, and Kiki sadly shook her head no.

Turning back to the veil, I heard Remus, tears streaming down his face as he lamented the death of his last best friend, whisper, "There's nothing you can do, Harry...nothing...He's gone."

I couldn't bear to watch any more. I turned away from the scene.

"Is there anything we can do?" I asked hopefully.

"You've already done enough. You protected our child, just as you promised. Now it's time for him to decide his own destiny," Lily replied, still sadly watching her son through the veil.

"And our child is still safe. No one besides Dumbledore knows of his true lineage, and Dean is happy with his life. I've been keeping an eye on him." I put my arm around Kiki's waist and kissed the top of her head. Then, they led me away from the veil and we walked...on.


End file.
